International recovery eclipses domestic at Sydney Airport for second consecutive month

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport reported (21-Sep-2023) it handled 3.3 million passengers in Aug-2023, an increase of 22% year-on-year and a decline of 11.4% compared to Aug-2019 pre-pandemic levels. The airport reported Aug-2023 was the second consecutive month in which international recovery (89.7%) exceeded domestic recovery (88%). For the first month since the reopening of the international border, US traffic exceeded pre-pandemic figures, with a 1% increase compared to Aug-2019. Airport CEO Geoff Culbert stated: "Recent boosts to capacity from some of our international airlines has led to a surge in overseas visitors, especially from countries like South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, where the numbers are now higher than in 2019... The domestic recovery continues to underwhelm". [more - original PR]