Name: Sydney Airport sees record crowds during peak holiday travel period
Uploaded: 2026-01-03T06:22:14.454Z
Duration: 1 min 51 s
Description: Millions of passengers are passing through Australian airports, with this season shaping as one of the busiest for international travel on record. It’s the peak day for holidaymakers, and airport staff are urging travellers to allow extra time.

Millions of passengers are passing through Australian airports, with this season shaping as one of the busiest for international travel on record. It’s the peak day for holidaymakers, and airport staff are urging travellers to allow extra time.

Council of the City of Sydney

Sydney International Airport is handling its busiest travel day of the year, with 65,000 people expected to pass through its doors. This surge is part of a broader trend, as over 5 million passengers are projected to travel through Sydney between December 12th and January 26th, marking a 3% increase from the previous year.

Major airports across Australia, including Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, are also experiencing high passenger volumes. The influx of travellers is positively impacting the tourism sector, with strong hotel occupancy rates reported nationwide. Passengers are being advised to plan ahead and allow extra time due to the ongoing high traffic, which is expected to continue for several weeks.

Sydney Airport sees record crowds during peak holiday travel period

65,000 people are expected to rush through the doors of Sydney International Airport for its busiest travel day of the year. It's funny when we walked in the first thing I said was this place is very busy today. It's like a lot of people. Yeah we didn't expect that many. Even those who aren't usually catching flights picking today to go overseas. Honestly I've been on a plane in like two and a half years. In Sydney alone, more than 5 million passengers are expected to travel between December 12th and January 26th. That's up 3% on the same period last year. Melbourne has had something like 22,000 people in through the airport yesterday, inbound international. It is universally a very busy day in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, you name it. 23% of those planning to go on a holiday will be taking off between January 1 and January 15 with New Zealand, Europe, Japan, Bali and the US the top destinations for travellers. Our visitor numbers are also high this summer, boosting the tourism sector nationally. It's a particularly important time for the major hotels and others and we're seeing quite good numbers for occupancy in our major hotels. With thousands of travellers expected through the gates, passengers are being reminded to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey. And it's expected to stay busy for at least the next few weeks. This is a major event time of the year and we are rolling into the Australian Open so we'll see more and more people coming in via our international borders. But whether you are just beginning your holiday adventure or returning home... Everyone's happy, so best time of the year, right? Michaela Fanto, 10 News.

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