Construction work is set to begin on Sydney Airport’s (SYD) new 200 million AUD T2 upgrade on 1 May.
The upgrade to the domestic terminal, which aims to reduce passenger time from kerb to gate to 15 minutes, was first revealed in November 2024, marking the first significant renovation project for SYD in over 30 years.
Serving around 17 million passengers per year, the airport is set to receive major upgrades to its self-service check-in kiosks, as well as a set of new advanced bag drop systems, enabling baggage processing rates to increase by 300 bags per hour.
Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO, said:The upgrades we’re making at the T2 domestic terminal will significantly improve the experience for the 17 million people who use T2 every year and position us for future growth. We’ve made great progress on security recently, with all passengers clearing processing in less than 10 minutes, but the bottleneck at check-in can sometimes add 30 to 40 minutes. More kiosks and new automated bag drops will streamline the checkin process and, once complete, our aim is for passengers to get from kerb to gate within 15 minutes.
The upgrade will be phased, with security set for completion by the end of the year and check-in works to be finished in late 2026. This means that for the next 18 months the journey through T2 will be a little different to what passengers are used to, and we encourage everyone to allow themselves plenty of time to get to the airport. We’re putting on extra staff to help passengers and we want to thank everyone in advance for their patience as we carry out these important upgrades to deliver a faster and more seamless travel experience.
Further upgrades include the installation of new baggage scanners, the doubling of each security lane from 235 to 500 passengers per hour, dedicated security lanes for family and assistance passengers and new lifts situated after security.
In order to minimise disruption, Rex Airlines and Fly Pelican departures will operate from the T3 domestic terminal from 8 April, with Jetstar check-in points temporarily relocated to share space with Virgin Australia by 28 April.
