Sydney Airport has installed a set of eight new Australian Border Force (ABF) SmartGate kiosks at its T1 International Terminal building.
The installation is hoped to boost the airport’s international passenger processing capacity by up to 640 travellers per hour.
The new kiosks come as part of a joint agreement made with the ABF in 2024, under the government’s updated procurement policy, to obtain 40 extra SmartGate units. The ABF will handle the operation of the kiosks themselves.
Sydney Airport has also consolidated its existing SmartGate units into two locations across Pier B and C in a move that the airport has stated aided in a reduction of 10% in wait times across Q1 2025 when compared to Q4 2024.
90% of inbound passengers are now able to clear immigration within 36 minutes, with broader processing times improved by roughly 12 minutes across the last 18 months and international passenger volumes increasing by 14% across the same time period.
An additional 32 SmartGate kiosks are set to be installed across the airport’s international precinct by mid-2026, doubling the total number of kiosks in the terminal.
Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO, said:Delivering these eight kiosks in under six months demonstrates the strength of our partnership with the Australian Border Force.
We applaud the Albanese Government for demonstrating flexibility and innovation in how public assets can be procured, as it allows acceleration of improved services and makes Sydney more competitive on the global stage.
Being early adopters of this approach reflects our commitment to working hand-in-hand with government to deliver outcomes that benefit passengers, the economy, and the broader aviation sector.
The kiosks’ deployment form part of Sydney Airport’s wider capital investment programme of its T1 International Terminal, with the plan also including upgrades to key security screening areas in the form of fifteen new CT scanning lanes installed on-site.
