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Sydney Morning Herald
06-07-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Busiest winter ahead' as school holiday international travel soars
'This is shaping up to be our busiest winter ever for international travel, which demonstrates the resilience of the sector in the face of geopolitical tensions and cost pressures,' said Sydney Airport chief Scott Charlton. 'More Australians are taking advantage of new destinations and extra capacity, and that's reflected in the numbers we're seeing through the terminal.' Closer to home, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Virgin have increased flights to vacation hotspot Queenstown in New Zealand from Sydney and Brisbane, even as Jetstar cuts back some weekly services from Melbourne. 'This may signify that the low-cost market served by Jetstar is moving into more full-service carrier territory,' Taylor said. Capacity to some of Australia's nearby international holiday destinations such as Bali and Fiji appears steady year-on-year, Taylor said, despite changes in the airlines delivering services. A Perth-Bali route operated by Indonesian low-cost carrier Citilink has exited the market while TransNusa, another Indonesian airline, has entered the Australian market for the first time. 'Broadly, it seems that Jetstar and Virgin are operating at similar levels to what they were last year,' Taylor said. Sydney and Melbourne are expected to each welcome about 2 million passengers over a two-week period. Loading Melbourne Airport is expected to serve 1.92 million passengers from July 4 to July 21, while Sydney Airport is predicting 2.6 million through its gates from June 30 to July 20. Melbourne foresees 647,927 international and 1.28 million domestic passengers, a 5 per cent increase on the previous year. 'The airport will welcome an AFL grand final crowd every day of the holidays, with a daily average of 107,000 passengers,' Melbourne Airport said in a statement. In welcome news for Melbourne travellers, the same body scanners and CT X-ray technology machines are in place across all terminals, so passengers no longer need to remove laptops, tablets or aerosols from bags as they go through security. At Sydney's T1 International terminal and T3 Domestic terminal, laptops and aerosols can stay in hand luggage scanned at security lines. In T2 Domestic, passengers still need to remove laptops and aerosols from their hand luggage. Loading Sydney is trying to accelerate the rollout of the troubled SmartGates to speed the entry of passengers arriving in the country, but most inbound passengers still take more than half an hour to clear immigration. Sydney Airport advises passengers to arrive one hour before a domestic flight, if carrying hand luggage only, two hours, if checking in bags, and a full three hours for international flights. Brisbane Airport, meanwhile, is tipping a 'record-breaking winter travel season'. Compared with last year, Brisbane expects 1.4 per cent growth in domestic terminal use over a 39-day period from June 13 to July 21 (comprising school holidays in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and New Zealand). In a sign of a widening market for overseas travel, international terminal use is expected to surge 18.4 per cent over the previous corresponding period as more international carriers pile into Brisbane. In mid-June, Singapore Airlines flights to Brisbane increased from 25 to 28 services a week. Last year, Cathay Pacific increased services from Brisbane to global hub Hong Kong from six to 10 flights a week. But the short-term snapshot of bookings shows some unevenness. For bookings made for July travel, trips booked to New York area airports have fallen 11 per cent for JFK Airport and 23 per cent for Newark. Taylor said the decline to those destinations is 'broadly lower' but 'may reflect that fewer Australians are taking the long trek there amid the lower currency'. After falling to US59.9¢ in April on US tariff threats, the Australian dollar has more recently traded at about US65.5¢.
The Age
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘Busiest winter ahead' as school holiday international travel soars
'This is shaping up to be our busiest winter ever for international travel, which demonstrates the resilience of the sector in the face of geopolitical tensions and cost pressures,' said Sydney Airport chief Scott Charlton. 'More Australians are taking advantage of new destinations and extra capacity, and that's reflected in the numbers we're seeing through the terminal.' Closer to home, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Virgin have increased flights to vacation hotspot Queenstown in New Zealand from Sydney and Brisbane, even as Jetstar cuts back some weekly services from Melbourne. 'This may signify that the low-cost market served by Jetstar is moving into more full-service carrier territory,' Taylor said. Capacity to some of Australia's nearby international holiday destinations such as Bali and Fiji appears steady year-on-year, Taylor said, despite changes in the airlines delivering services. A Perth-Bali route operated by Indonesian low-cost carrier Citilink has exited the market while TransNusa, another Indonesian airline, has entered the Australian market for the first time. 'Broadly, it seems that Jetstar and Virgin are operating at similar levels to what they were last year,' Taylor said. Sydney and Melbourne are expected to each welcome about 2 million passengers over a two-week period. Loading Melbourne Airport is expected to serve 1.92 million passengers from July 4 to July 21, while Sydney Airport is predicting 2.6 million through its gates from June 30 to July 20. Melbourne foresees 647,927 international and 1.28 million domestic passengers, a 5 per cent increase on the previous year. 'The airport will welcome an AFL grand final crowd every day of the holidays, with a daily average of 107,000 passengers,' Melbourne Airport said in a statement. In welcome news for Melbourne travellers, the same body scanners and CT X-ray technology machines are in place across all terminals, so passengers no longer need to remove laptops, tablets or aerosols from bags as they go through security. At Sydney's T1 International terminal and T3 Domestic terminal, laptops and aerosols can stay in hand luggage scanned at security lines. In T2 Domestic, passengers still need to remove laptops and aerosols from their hand luggage. Loading Sydney is trying to accelerate the rollout of the troubled SmartGates to speed the entry of passengers arriving in the country, but most inbound passengers still take more than half an hour to clear immigration. Sydney Airport advises passengers to arrive one hour before a domestic flight, if carrying hand luggage only, two hours, if checking in bags, and a full three hours for international flights. Brisbane Airport, meanwhile, is tipping a 'record-breaking winter travel season'. Compared with last year, Brisbane expects 1.4 per cent growth in domestic terminal use over a 39-day period from June 13 to July 21 (comprising school holidays in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and New Zealand). In a sign of a widening market for overseas travel, international terminal use is expected to surge 18.4 per cent over the previous corresponding period as more international carriers pile into Brisbane. In mid-June, Singapore Airlines flights to Brisbane increased from 25 to 28 services a week. Last year, Cathay Pacific increased services from Brisbane to global hub Hong Kong from six to 10 flights a week. But the short-term snapshot of bookings shows some unevenness. For bookings made for July travel, trips booked to New York area airports have fallen 11 per cent for JFK Airport and 23 per cent for Newark. Taylor said the decline to those destinations is 'broadly lower' but 'may reflect that fewer Australians are taking the long trek there amid the lower currency'. After falling to US59.9¢ in April on US tariff threats, the Australian dollar has more recently traded at about US65.5¢.
Time Out Dubai
04-07-2025
- Time Out Dubai
DXB issues important advice ahead of peak summer travel day
Dubai International Airport has confirmed it is expecting a travel surge in the coming days, and has issued some key advice to all passengers. Falling on the beginning of the Dubai school holidays, the airport stated that a (very) impressive 3.4 million guests will pass through DXB between Friday June 27 and Wednesday July 9. The busiest day is expected to be Saturday July 5 for both departures and international transfers. If you like this: Emirates issues important travel advice ahead of busy period During the peak period, an average of 265,000 people will move through the airport, with a summer-readiness plan now in place to ensure passenger safety. (Credit: DXB) If you're jetting off on your holidays in the coming days, the airport has encouraged the following advise be taken on board. For those travelling with families, children over the age of 12 can use Smart Gates to speed up the passport control process. Arrive no earlier than three hours before departure. Utilise online check-in, self-service kiosks and bag drop at DXB Terminal 3. DUBZ provides home check-in and baggage collection services, allowing guests to complete their airport formalities from the comfort of their home or hotel. Stay informed on flight and gate updates with DXB Express Maps, the wayfinding platform that helps you navigate the airport with a quick QR code scan and search. Enhanced support is available for People of Determination, including marked accessibility routes, discreet assistance for guests wearing Sunflower Lanyards from trained staff, and a dedicated Assisted Travel Lounge in DXB Terminal 2. Emirates has also issued guidance to passengers travelling in the coming days, as the airline is also expecting a peak period. Gearing up for a busy travel period, the airline shared that over 30,000 Emirates passengers will depart on Thursday June 26. Issuing a timeline to follow, the airline advised passengers arrive at Dubai International Airport three hours before departure. Click here for the latest announcements from DXB. In other Dubai news RTA upgrades roads in busy Dubai neighbourhood There have been some big changes When is Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (PBUH) in 2025? And will we get the day off? The public holiday explained Here's what the colour of your Dubai taxi roof actually means There are six colours and they all have different meanings
Time Out Dubai
26-06-2025
- Time Out Dubai
DXB issues important advice ahead of peak travel period
Dubai International Airport has confirmed it is expecting a travel surge in the coming days, and has issued some key advice to all passengers. Falling on the beginning of the Dubai school holidays, the airport stated that a (very) impressive 3.4 million guests will pass through DXB between Friday June 27 and Wednesday July 9. The busiest day is expected to be Saturday July 5 for both departures and international transfers. If you like this: Emirates issues important travel advice ahead of busy period During the peak period, an average of 265,000 people will move through the airport, with a summer-readiness plan now in place to ensure passenger safety. (Credit: DXB) If you're jetting off on your holidays in the coming days, the airport has encouraged the following advise be taken on board. For those travelling with families, children over the age of 12 can use Smart Gates to speed up the passport control process. Arrive no earlier than three hours before departure. Utilise online check-in, self-service kiosks and bag drop at DXB Terminal 3. DUBZ provides home check-in and baggage collection services, allowing guests to complete their airport formalities from the comfort of their home or hotel. Stay informed on flight and gate updates with DXB Express Maps, the wayfinding platform that helps you navigate the airport with a quick QR code scan and search. Enhanced support is available for People of Determination, including marked accessibility routes, discreet assistance for guests wearing Sunflower Lanyards from trained staff, and a dedicated Assisted Travel Lounge in DXB Terminal 2. Emirates has also issued guidance to passengers travelling in the coming days, as the airline is also expecting a peak period. Gearing up for a busy travel period, the airline shared that over 30,000 Emirates passengers will depart on Thursday June 26. Issuing a timeline to follow, the airline advised passengers arrive at Dubai International Airport three hours before departure. Click here for the latest announcements from DXB. In other Dubai news RTA upgrades roads in busy Dubai neighbourhood There have been some big changes When is Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (PBUH) in 2025? And will we get the day off? The public holiday explained Here's what the colour of your Dubai taxi roof actually means There are six colours and they all have different meanings
Khaleej Times
26-06-2025
- Khaleej Times
Dubai Airports braces for peak travel period, reveals busiest day before summer break
The next two weeks will be extremely busy at Dubai International (DXB) with over 265,000 passengers travelling on average per day, Dubai Airports said on Thursday. The world's busiest international airport will see more than 3.4 million passengers travelling through the airport between June 27 and July 9 with July 5 will be the busiest day for both departures and transfer traffic. This comes a day after Emirates airline announced a similar summer peak travel advisory on Wednesday with more than 30,000 passengers departing from DXB from June 26 to June 30. On Tuesday, Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates said its passengers experienced minimal disruptions to their travel plans after the Iranian attack, with regularly scheduled flights resuming within a few short hours. Dubai Airports also announced the resumption of full operations at its airports in the emirate following a temporary precautionary pause on Tuesday. Dubai Airports advised people travelling with families, and children over the age of 12 to use Smart Gates to speed up the passport control process. It asked people to arrive no earlier than three hours before departure, utilise online check-in, self-service kiosks and bag drop at DXB Terminal 3, and stay informed on flight and gate updates with DXB Express Maps.
