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This article is about the Australian airport. For the Canadian airport, see Sydney Airport (Nova Scotia).
Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith Airport) (IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY) is located in the suburb of Mascot in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 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,[2] and the busiest airport in Australia, handling 31.9 million passengers and 290,346 aircraft movements in 2007.[3] It was the 28th busiest airport in the world in 2003. The airport is managed by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) and the current CEO is Russell Balding. Situated next to Botany Bay, the airport has three runways, colloquially known as the "East-West", "North-South" and "Third" runways. It has the smallest land area of any capital city airport in Australia.[citation needed]
[edit] History
Originally declared an aerodrome in 1920 (then known as Sydney Airport), it was renamed Sydney (Kingsford Smith) 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. By the 1960s, the limitations of having only two runways that crossed each other had become apparent. Various governments grappled with Sydney's airport capacity for decades. Eventually, the controversial decision to build a third runway was made. The third runway was built parallel to the existing main "North-South" runway on reclaimed land from Botany Bay). A proposed new airport on the outskirts of Sydney was shelved indefinitely. Following completion, the "third runway" (as it is known to Sydneysiders) remained controversial because of increased aircraft movements, especially over many inner suburbs. The 1990s saw the formation of the No Aircraft Noise Party, which gained support in affected areas.[citation needed] There has been general acquiescence in the arrangements for Sydney Airport that were introduced by the Howard government shortly after its election, namely to -
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. One such expansion is underway and will stretch over twenty years (2005–2025). This will include an additional high-rise office block, the construction of a multi-level car park, the expansion of both the International and Domestic Terminals. These expansions—and other plans and policies by Macquarie Bank for airport operations—are seen as controversial as they are performed without legal oversight of local councils, which usually act as the local planning authority for such developments. As of April 2006, some of the proposed development has been scaled back.[4] Sydney Airport's International terminal is currently undergoing a 500 million dollar renovation that will be completed in mid 2010. The upgrade includes a new baggage system, an extra 7300 sq metres of space for shops and passenger waiting areas and other improvements.[5] [edit] TerminalsSydney Airport has three passenger terminals. The international terminal is separated from the other terminals by a runway, therefore passengers need to allow for longer times for transfers. The airport does provide shuttle services between terminals at a cost of AUD$5.50. It is possible to walk between the international terminal and domestic terminal.
Terminal 1 is the international terminal, located in the airport's north western sector. It has 29 gates served by aerobridges, as well as a number of remote bays. It can accommodate the Airbus A380, which fly routes to Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Los Angeles and London via Singapore (Qantas), Dubai and Auckland (Emirates). There are separate check-in desks for every airline. The Terminal is split into three levels; Level 1- Arrivals level, Level 2- Departures level and Level 3- Airline offices. The terminal also has an observation deck located high above the airport for views showing all of Sydney Airport. The terminal hosts seven airline lounges, two for Qantas The Qantas Club and First Class Lounge, the Air New Zealand Lounge, The Silver Kris Lounge for Singapore Airlines, The Golden Lounge for Malaysia Airlines, The Emirates Lounge for Emirates and The Japan Airlines Lounge for Japan Airlines. Departures and arrivals are on separate levels. There are two departures concourses: Gates 8-37 on the B Concourse and Gates 50-63 on the C Concourse. There are 12 baggage carousels in the arrivals area on the ground floor. The terminal is currently undergoing a major $500 million redevelopment to be completed in 2010, with the Terminal offering a much expanded world-class shopping complex. Sydney Airport receives over 10 million international passengers every year. Terminal 1 was opened in the early 1970s, replacing the old Overseas Passenger Terminal which was located where Terminal 3 now stands. It has been extended significantly since then. The Sydney AirportShopping website provides relevant information about eating, shopping and duty free at the international terminal.
Terminal 2 was formerly the Ansett Domestic Terminal and is located in the airport's north eastern section. It has 15 parking bays served by aerobridges and a number of non-contact bays. It serves Virgin Blue, Jetstar domestic, Regional Express, Aeropelican Air Services, some Qantaslink services and in recent times has been upgraded to serve Tiger Airways also. It has three lounges, The Qantas Club located on the accessway between piers A and B, Virgin Blue's The Lounge which occupies the lower level of the former Ansett Golden Wing Club, and the Rex Lounge, located on the main concourse. A fourth lounge exists adjacent to concourse A (was the former Ansett Executive Lounge) and was for a time occupied by Virgin Blue as its original location of The Lounge. With its relocation into bigger premises, this area is now unoccupied. Terminal 2 is partly split-level: there is a single concourse handling departure and arrival passengers. Check-in services are on the first floor and baggage reclaim on the ground floor. The Sydney AirportShopping website provides relevant information about eating and shopping at the domestic terminal.
Terminal 3 is a domestic terminal, also located in the north eastern section, which serves Qantas domestic and some Qantaslink flights (notably those serving Canberra). It has 14 parking bays served by aerobridges, including 2 served by dual aerobridges. Bay 7 can accommodate the Boeing 747, although the largest aircraft routinely handled by the terminal is the Airbus A330. Terminal 3 has a large Qantas Club lounge, along with a dedicated Business Class and Chairmans lounge. It supports a thrive of shops and cafes. It was formerly the TAA Terminal, later the Australian Airlines Terminal, and then the Qantas Domestic Terminal. The current terminal building is largely the result of extensions made during the late 1990s.
The airport has an unused fourth passenger terminal, east of Terminal 2. This was formerly known as "Domestic Express" and was used by low-cost carriers Virgin Blue and the now defunct Impulse Airlines. Virgin Blue moved into Terminal 2 after the demise of Ansett. It has no aerobridges. Sydney Airport's freight terminal is north of Terminal 1. [edit] Airlines and destinations   
1: Originates from Terminal 2 and stops in Darwin. 2: United Airlines and Philippine Airlines continue their flights to and/from Melbourne, but do not have rights to carry domestic passengers between Sydney and Melbourne. Selected Malaysia Airlines flights stop in Brisbane, but do not have domestic traffic rights. .  [edit] CurfewIn 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 in an effort to curb complaints about aircraft noise. The curfew prevents aircraft from taking off or landing between the hours of 11pm and 6am. A limited number of scheduled and approved take-offs and landings are permitted respectively in the "shoulder periods" of 11pm to midnight and 5am to 6am, by Section 12 of the Act. 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. Fines for violating curfew have been levied against four airlines, as of 2009 with a maximum fine for $550 000 applicable.[9] [edit] Second airport proposals Main article: Second Sydney Airport Sydney has sought a second airport since 1964.[10] Between 1987 and 2000 domestic flights though Sydney have more than doubled to nearly 27 million, and international passengers served increased from 8 million to 15 million. Close to half of all scheduled flights in Australia take off or land at Kingsford Smith. In 1998 the airport handled 45% of international passengers in Australia.[11] The Commonwealth has bought most of the required land in a proposed site at Badgery's Creek, west of Sydney. This site would be accessible by the Westlink M7 motorway. There are currently three proposals for the airport layout, featuring different arrangement of terminals in the centre of the proposed three runways. The issue of a second airport for Sydney arose again after the Rudd government was elected in 2007. Convinced that capacity at the current airport will be exhausted, it sought a new site. It is believed that various options, including a freight-only airport operation, will be considered. Camden, converting part or all of Richmond and Canberra will be investigated for feasibility, while Bankstown and Badgerys Creek, according to sources, will not.[12] [edit] Operations
[edit] Prospective users and routes
[edit] TransportThe 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. Regular suburban trains service the airport, without special provisions for customers with luggage. Sydney Buses run Route 400 (Burwood,Bondi Junction), which connects the eastern suburbs, Inner West and St George areas to the airport, with stops at International and Domestic terminals. Once again, these buses are regular suburban buses. [edit] Accidents and incidents
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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