In light of substantial growth, the airport launched an expansion effort in the early 21st century.

A
new air traffic control tower was completed in July 2007, to replace the one built in 1951. A new
three-level parking garage opened in June 2007. In 2009, additional parking lots were completed
to handle increased rental car fleets; total parking capacity was estimated at 3,000 vehicles.
As of 2011, the airport was the third fastest-growing airport in the United States and the 118th
largest airport. The year 2010 was its best ever, with approximately 1,063,000 passengers. The
passenger count was down slightly in 2011, with approximately 1,059,000 passengers.[7]
In January 2011, Delta Air Lines provided two additional daily flights to Atlanta using 142-
seat McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft, for a total of four. Additional service using Airbus A320
aircraft began later in the year. In 2012, Delta upgraded its early morning CRJ900 regional jet
flight to a larger McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jet.
Frontier Airlines began nonstop service from Newport News in 2010 as the airport was finishing a
$23 million renovation. Initial service included four direct flights a week to Denver, Colorado
using Airbus A318 128-seat jets but, due to high demand, service was upgraded within weeks to
an Airbus A319.[8][9]
For 2011, Frontier Airlines increased its service from the airport. Beginning May 13, 2011,
Frontier flights were operated with larger Airbus A320 jets with seating for 162 passengers.
However, as of September 12, 2011, Frontier began providing service to the airport seasonally.
On February 4, 2012, PAC announced that Frontier will resume year-round service at the airport,
and will operate seven days per week beginning May 22 through Labor Day. After Labor Day,
Frontier planned to operate flights six days per week. However, Frontier no longer serves the
airport.
Concourse A opened in May 2010 as the airport's second concourse. Concourse A is designed
with a full-service customs facility for larger-size international jets. A local contractor donated
$50,000 worth of labor and materials to expand the airport's USO office in 2010, doubling it in
size to better serve military personnel who fly through the airport.

Decline in service (2012–present)[edit]

On March 9, 2012, PHF's longtime largest airline AirTran Airways ceased operations at the
airport. This was due to their merger with Southwest Airlines (which was already servicing
nearby Norfolk International Airport). Passenger count declined substantially in 2012 after the
departure of AirTran, with layoffs at the airport announced in May 2012 including police officers,
all police dispatchers and other staff.
In February 2012, PEOPLExpress Airlines announced plans to fly out of the airport to several
destinations. The airline, headquartered in Newport News, planned to fly to several destinations,
including several weekly flights to Pittsburgh and Newark. With flights as far south as Florida,
and as far west as St. Louis.[10] The airline planned to operate Boeing 737–400 aircraft, and
acquired an operating certificate from Xtra Airways in 2013.[11]
The airport is home to three Fixed-Base operators: Rick Aviation, Atlantic Aviation and Orion Air
Group, which is now Tempus Jets. In January 2013, Mid Atlantic Aviation also located at the
airport, as well as Epix Aviation. Rick and Atlantic provide flight instruction schools, and jet fuel
services to private and commercial airplanes. Atlantic Aviation handles international chartered
flights. Rick Aviation continues to operate inside the original passenger terminal, sharing space
with Denbigh High School's Aviation Academy (serving over 350 high school students). As Orion
Air Group opened a new world headquarters 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) facility which will
employ 100 people; they are already planning an additional 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2)
expansion. Additionally, in 2011 Tidewater Flight Center opened a second location at the airport,
providing flight instruction from the original terminal building. Also sharing the original terminal
building is a local squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, which maintains several CAP airplanes at the
airport.
In 1933 the first gravel runways were built. By 1949 the airport had three runways – the 1,085-
metre (3,560 ft) 11/29, the 1,190-metre (3,904 ft) 16/34 and the 1,787-metre (5,863 ft) 04/22. The
Sydenham to Botany railway line crossed the latter runway approximately 150 metres (490 ft)
from the northern end and was protected by special safeworking facilities.[12] The Cooks
River was diverted away from the area in 1947–52 to provide more land for the airport and other
small streams were filled. When Mascot was declared an aerodrome in 1920 it was known as
Sydney Airport. On 14 August 1936 the airport was renamed Sydney (Kingsford Smith)
Airport[13]in honour of pioneering Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Up to the early
1960s the majority of Sydney-siders referred to the airport as Mascot. The first paved runway
was 07/25 and the next one constructed was 16/34 (now 16R/34L), extended into Botany Bay,
starting in 1959, to accommodate jet aircraft.[citation needed] Runway 07/25 is used mainly by lighter
aircraft, but is used by all aircraft including Airbus A380s when conditions require. Runway 16R
is presently the longest operational runway in Australia, with a paved length of 4,400 m
(14,300 ft) and 3,920 m (12,850 ft) between the zebra thresholds.

Modern history[edit]

KLM DC8 at Gate 2 International Terminal in 1972

By the 1960s, the need for a new international terminal had become apparent, and work
commenced in late 1966. Much of the new terminal was designed by Paynter and Dixon
Industries.[14] The plans for the design are held by the State Library of New South Wales.[15]
The new terminal was officially opened on 3 May 1970, by HM Queen Elizabeth II. The
first Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" at the airport, Pan American's Clipper Flying Cloud (N734PA),
arrived on 4 October 1970. The east-west runway was then 2,500 m (8,300 ft) long;[16] 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[citation needed] and has
undergone several refurbishments since then, including one that was completed in early 2000 in
order to re-invent the airport in time for the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney. The airport
additionally underwent another project development that began in 2010 to extend the transit
zone which brought new duty free facilities, shops & leisure areas for passengers.[citation needed]
The limitations of having only two runways that crossed each other had become apparent and
governments grappled with Sydney's airport capacity for decades; eventually the controversial
decision to build a third runway was made. The third runway was parallel to the existing runway
16/34, entirely on reclaimed land from Botany Bay. A proposed new airport on the outskirts of
Sydney was shelved in 2004, before being re-examined in 2009–2012 showing that Kingsford
Smith airport will not be able to cope by 2030.
Curfew[edit]
The "third runway", which the Commonwealth government commenced development of in 1989
and completed in 1994, remained controversial because of increased aircraft movements,
especially over many inner suburbs. In 1995 the Common Cause - No Aircraft Noise party (also
known as the No Aircraft Noise Party) was formed to contest the state seat of Marrickville. The
results of the election that year show that the party did not win a seat in parliament, but came
close.[17] The party does not appear to have entered candidates for any subsequent election.
In 1995, the Australian Parliament passed the Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995, 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 11 pm and 6 am. A
limited number of scheduled and approved take-offs and landings are permitted respectively in
the "shoulder periods" of 11 pm to midnight and 5 am to 6 am. The Act does not stop all aircraft
movements overnight, but limits movements by restricting the types of aircraft that can operate,
the runways they can use and the number of flights allowed.[18] 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. As of 2009, fines for violating curfew have been levied against four airlines, with a
maximum fine of $550,000 applicable.[19]
In addition to the curfew, Sydney Airport also has a cap of 80 aircraft movements per hour which
cannot be exceeded, leading to increased delays during peak hours.[20]

Expansion[edit]
In 2002, the Commonwealth Government sold Sydney Airports Corporation Limited (later
renamed Sydney Airport Corporation Limited, SACL), the management authority for the airport,
to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings Ltd. 82.93 per cent of SACL is owned by MAp
Airports International Limited, a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank, Sydney Airport Intervest GmbH
own 12.11 per cent and Ontario Teachers' Australia Trust own 4.96 per cent.[21] SACL holds a 99-
year lease on the airport which remains Crown land and as such is categorised as a Leased
Federal Airport.[22]
Since the international terminal's original completion, it has undergone two large expansions.
One such expansion is underway and will stretch over twenty years (2005–25). This will include
an additional high-rise office block, the construction of a multi-level car park, the expansion of
both 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
the 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.[23]
Sydney Airport's International terminal underwent a $500 million renovation that was completed
in mid-2010. The upgrade includes a new baggage system, an extra 7,300 m2(78,577 sq ft) of
space for shops and passenger waiting areas and other improvements.[24]
In March 2010, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a report sharply
critical of price gouging at Sydney airport, ranking it fifth out of five airports. The report noted
Sydney Airport recorded the highest average prices at $13.63 per passenger, compared to the
lowest of $7.96 at Melbourne Airport, while the price of short-term parking had almost doubled in
the 2008–09 financial year, from $28 to $50 for four hours. The report also accused the airport of
abusing its monopoly power.[25]

Future[edit]
In December 2011, Sydney Airport announced a proposal to divide the airport into two airline-
alliance-based precincts; integrating international, domestic and regional services under the one
roof by 2019. The current domestic Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 would be used by Qantas, Jetstar
and members of the oneworld airline alliance while today's international Terminal 1 would be
used by Virgin Australia and its international partners. Other international airlines would continue
to operate from T1.[26]
In September 2012, Sydney Airport and MD CEO Kerrie Mather announced the airport had
abandoned the proposal to create alliance-based terminals in favour of terminals "based around
specific airline requirements and (passenger) transfer flows". She stated the plan was to
minimise the number of passengers transferring between terminals.[27] In June 2013 the airport
released a draft version of its 2013 Masterplan, which proposes operating domestic and
international flights from the same terminals using 'swing gates', along with upgrading Terminal 3
(currently the Qantas domestic terminal) to accommodate the Airbus A380.[28][29]
On 17 February 2014, the Australian Government approved Sydney Airport’s Master Plan
2033,[30] which outlines the airport’s plans to cater for forecast demand of 74 million passengers
in 2033. The plan includes Sydney Airport’s first ever integrated ground transport plan.[31]
Terminals[edit]
Sydney Airport has three passenger terminals. The International Terminal is separated from the
other two by a runway; therefore, connecting passengers need to allow for longer transfer times.

Terminal 1[edit]

Terminal 1 aerial view

Sydney Airport Terminal 1 Restrict Area shops after renovation in 2016

Terminal 1 was opened on 3 May 1970, replacing the old Overseas Passenger Terminal (which
was located where Terminal 3 stands now) and has been greatly expanded since then. Today it
is known as the International Terminal, located in the airport's north western sector. It has 25
gates (thirteen in concourse B numbered 8–37, and twelve in concourse C numbered 50–63)
served by aerobridges. Pier B is used by Qantas, all Oneworld members and
all Skyteam members (except Delta). Pier C is used by Virgin Australia and its partners
(including Delta) as well as all Star Alliance members. There are also a number of remote bays
which are heavily utilised during peak periods and for parking of idle aircraft during the day.