Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport) (IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY), is located in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. It is the major airport serving Sydney, and is a major hub for Qantas. Sydney Airport is one of the oldest continually operated airports in the world, and the busiest airport in Australia, handling 31.9 million passengers and 290,346 aircraft movements in 2007.

It was the 28th busiest airport in the world in 2003, however, as of 2008 fails to meet the list. The airport is managed by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) and the current CEO is Russell Balding. Situated next to Botany Bay, Kingsford Smith has three runways, colloquially known as the “East-West” and two “North-South” runways. In terms of land area, it is the smallest capital city airport in Australia.

History

Originally declared an aerodrome in 1920 (then known as Sydney Airport), it was renamed Sydney (Kingsford Smith) International Airport in 1953, in honour of Charles Kingsford Smith, a pioneering Australian aviator.

The airport’s first runways were built in 1933, all in gravel. Some small streams where some of the present runways are located were also filled. By the 1960s the need for a new international terminal had become apparent, and work commenced in late 1966. The new terminal was officially opened on May 3, 1970, by Queen Elizabeth II. The first Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ to serve the airport, Pan American’s ‘Clipper Flying Cloud’ (N734PA), arrived on October 4, 1970. In the 1970s the north-south runway was expanded to become one of the longest runways in the southern hemisphere. The international terminal was expanded in 1992 and has undergone several refurbishments since then.

In the 1960s, the limitations of having only two runways that crossed each other had become apparent. Various governments grappled (or failed to grapple) with the issue of Sydney’s airport capacity for decades. Eventually the highly controversial decision to build a third runway (parallel to the existing main “North-South” runway, but entirely on land reclaimed from Botany Bay) was taken, and the much-anticipated proposed new airport on the outskirts of Sydney was shelved indefinitely.

Even once the “third runway” (as it is universally known to Sydneysiders), had been built, it remained controversial because of increased aircraft movements, especially over many of Sydney’s inner suburbs. The 1990s saw the formation of the No Aircraft Noise Party, which gained support in areas of Sydney affected by aircraft noise. However, there has been general acquiescence in the arrangements for Sydney Airport that were introduced by the Howard government shortly after its election, namely to -

1. maintain curfews (extremely limited jet movements 2300-0600)
2. rotate runway operation, and fan flightpaths out (instead of concentrating them, as had previously been the case)
3. use, whenever possible, flightpaths over water, especially Botany Bay
4. continue the use of noise abatement (reduced power settings, etc) on departure.

In 2002, the Australian Government sold Sydney Airports Corporation Limited (later renamed to Sydney Airport Corporation Limited), the management authority for the airport, to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings Ltd. This is majority owned by a number of Macquarie Bank infrastructure investment funds. It holds a 99 year lease on the airport which remains Crown land.

Since the international terminal’s original completion, it has undergone two large expansions, and the entire airport is currently undergoing a large expansion stretching over twenty years (2005 – 2025). This expansion will include the addition of a high-rise office block, the construction of a multi-level car park, the expansion of both the international and domestic terminal. This latest expansion – and other plans and policies by Macquarie Bank for airport operations are seen as controversial, due to the fact that the local councils, which usually act as the local planning authority for such developments, have no jurisdiction over the airport. As of April 2006, some of the proposed development has been scaled back.

The airport is accessible by road and via the Airport Link underground rail line. The International Terminal and Domestic Terminal railway stations are situated below the respective terminals and are part of the Cityrail network, however the train stations are privately owned and operated by the Airport Link consortium. Sydney Buses run the 400 route (Burwood to Bondi Junction) which stops at the airport terminals.

Airlines and Destinations

Kingsford Smith International Airport has three main terminals, referred to as T1 (or, to most locals, the “International Terminal”), T2 (the former “Ansett Domestic Terminal”), and T3 (the “Qantas Domestic Terminal”). The international terminal is separated from the other terminals by a runway which results in the need to allow for more time for passenger connections.

International Terminal 1

• Aerolíneas Argentinas (Auckland, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza)
• Aircalin (Nouméa)
• Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
• Air China (Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong)
• Air Mauritius (Port Louis)
• Air New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Queenstown, Wellington)
• Air Niugini (Port Moresby)
• Air Pacific (Nadi)
• Air Tahiti Nui (Papeete)
• Air Vanuatu (Port Vila)
• Asiana Airlines (Seoul-Incheon)
• British Airways (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, London-Heathrow, Singapore)
• Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
• China Airlines (Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan)
• China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
• China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou)
• Emirates (Auckland, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Christchurch, Dubai)
• Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)
• Garuda Indonesia (Denpasar/Bali)
• Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu)
• Japan Airlines (Tokyo-Narita)
• Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
• LAN Airlines (Auckland, Santiago)
• Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
• Norfolk Air (Melbourne, Norfolk Island)
• Philippine Airlines (Manila)
• Qantas (International) (Adelaide, Auckland, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing, Brisbane, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza [begins November 24], Christchurch, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York-JFK, Noumea, Queenstown, Rome-Fiumicino [from July 4 to July 29], San Francisco, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita, Wellington)
• Honolulu, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Kansai (Outbound), Phuket)
• Royal Brunei Airlines (Bandar Seri Begawan)
• Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
• Thai Airways International (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
• Transaero (Hong Kong, Moscow-Domodedovo)
• United Airlines (Los Angeles, San Francisco)
• Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City)
• Virgin Atlantic (Hong Kong, London-Heathrow)
• Virgin Blue
• Viva Macau (Macau)

Domestic Terminal 2

• Aeropelican Air Services (Inverell, Newcastle)
• Eastern Australia Airlines (Albury, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Wagga-Wagga)
• Jetstar Airways (Adelaide, Melbourne-Avalon, Ballina, Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hervey Bay, Hobart, Launceston, Sunshine Coast, Proserpine [ends July 2008], Townsville)
• Qantas:

1. QantasLink (Albury, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Lord Howe Island, Moree, Narrabri, Newcastle (resumes July 2008), Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga)
2. Regional Express (REX) (Albury, Ballina, Bathurst, Broken Hill , Dubbo, Grafton, Griffith, Lismore, Merimbula, Mildura, Moruya, Narrandera, Orange, Parkes, Taree, Wagga Wagga)
3. Air Link (Bathurst, Cobar, Dubbo, Mudgee)
4. Virgin Blue (Adelaide, Albury, Ballina, Bilinga, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Perth, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Townsville)

Qantas Terminal 3

• Qantas (Domestic) (Adelaide, Alice Springs, Ayres Rock/Uluru, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth)

Cargo Airlines

• Atlas Air (Chicago-O’Hare, Frankfurt-Hahn, Honolulu, Melbourne, New York-JFK, Shanghai-Pudong)
• Australian air Express (Melbourne)
• Cathay Pacific Cargo (Hong Kong, Melbourne)
• FedEx Express (Subic Bay, Honolulu)
• Korean Air Cargo (Seoul-Incheon, Guangzhou)
• Martinair (Amsterdam, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong)
• MASkargo (Kuala Lumpur)
• Singapore Airlines Cargo (Singapore)
• Toll Priority (Melbourne)
• UPS (Anchorage, Nadi, Honolulu, Los Angeles)

Sydney Airport Curfew and Second Airport Proposals

Sydney Airport Curfew

In 1995 the Australian Government passed a law through parliament entitled “The Sydney Airport Curfew Act”, which limits the operating hours of the airport. This was done due as an effort to curb complaints about aircraft noise.

The curfew prevents aircraft from taking off or landing between the hours of 11pm and 6am. During extreme weather, flights are often delayed and it is often the case that people on late flights are unable to travel on a given day.

Sydney Second Airport Proposals

Sydney has been seeking a second airport since 1946. Today, the need grows more urgent, as Sydney’s skies become increasingly congested and more discount airlines (which prefer to operate from airports with lower costs and shorter turnaround times) come into being. As a tentative first step, the Commonwealth has bought most of the land needed for a second airport, at Badgery’s Creek, just west of Sydney. There are currently three proposals for the layout of the airport A,B and C. All feature the terminals in the centre of the proposed three runways (in most cases).

The site is classed as moderately distant from Sydney. Access to the airport would be gained by an expressway branching off the Westlink M7 (completed 2006). The expressway would initially have four lanes, but would eventually be upgraded to a six lanes.

A Second Airport for Sydney has recently remerged as a hot topic facing the newly elected Federal Government. The Rudd Government is convinced that Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport’s capacity will be exhausted and the hunt for a new site is set to begin shortly. It is believed various options, including a freight-only airport operation will be considered. Camden, converting part or all of Richmond and Canberra are all to be investigated for feasibility. Bankstown and Badgerys Creek, according to sources are not to be put forward.

Other Information

Kingsford Smith International Airport

• Airport type: Public
• Operator: Sydney Airport Corporation Limited
• Serves: Sydney
• Location; Mascot, Australia
• Elevation AMSL: 19 ft / 6 m
• Website: www.sydneyairport.com.au

Incoming search terms:

• Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in australia
• liberty tower USA
• location of terminal 2 Kingsford Smith airport
• architecture in Papeete
• layout of kingsford smith airport
• smith sydney international airport
• statue of liberty wikipedia
• syd airport
• sydney australia- kingsford smith terminal 1
• sydney to brisbane to kula lumpur to subic