Passengers encouraged to arrive early to beat school holiday rush

Monday 28 March 2022

  • Easter school holiday period to be busiest for domestic air travel in two years
  • Domestic passengers asked to arrive two hours prior to departure of their flight
  • Guidance for arrival ahead of international flights remains unchanged at three hours

Sydney Airport is encouraging domestic travellers to arrive two hours before their departing flight this Easter school holidays in what’s expected to be the busiest period for domestic air travel in two years.

Previously domestic travellers were advised to arrive one hour before the departure of their flight. The general guidance for arriving ahead of international flights remains unchanged at three hours prior to departure.

Greg Hay, Sydney Airport General Manager of Operations, said: “Domestic passenger numbers have nearly doubled over the past six months, and we are anticipating this Easter school holidays to be the busiest the airport’s been since the start of the pandemic.

“To help manage queues at security checkpoints and make sure everyone gets away on time, we’re encouraging domestic travellers to arrive two hours ahead of their scheduled departure.

“We know arriving two hours ahead is going to mean some early starts but we want to see everyone clear security quickly and safely and get to where they’re going.”

The arrival of the Easter school holiday peak comes as Sydney Airport’s security partner, Certis Security Australia, rebuilds its workforce in line with the recovery of domestic aviation.

“Our security partner is building up their workforce to ensure smooth and safe operations at the airport as travellers return,” Mr Hay said.

“We’ve also noticed people are a little out of practice with security protocols, for example not taking laptops and aerosols out of their bag at screening points, which is contributing to the queues.

“Safety is the most important thing at Sydney Airport, and we want to thank everyone who is travelling during the Easter school holidays for their patience.”

Parking update - Friday 8 April 2022

Car parks at the Domestic terminal including Blu Emu are full this weekend. Only passengers with an existing booking will be able to enter.

Contact for further information

For any questions relating to travel, please contact your airline or email customer.experience@syd.com.au.