Sydney Airport in danger of losing top status to Melbourne

MORE international airlines are choosing Melbourne’s airport over Sydney’s thanks to lower fees, better services and its “competitive edge”.

QANTAS & Virgin Australia aircraft at Melbourne airport

MELBOURNE is flogging Sydney in the battle of the airports, growing international passengers at twice the rate of the NSW capital and generating an extra $590 million for the Victorian economy.

In the past decade passengers using Tullamarine have grown an average 7.5 per cent compared with Sydney’s 3.8 per cent. As a result Melbourne now sees around 750,000 passengers a month, compared with Sydney’s 1.1 million. Board of Airline Representatives Australia director Barry Abrams said they were certainly seeing a “shifting of the balance” in international aviation towards Melbourne. “Sydney is obviously still bigger but there are a few drivers favouring Melbourne’s total growth in passengers,” said Mr Abrams. Second Sydney airport taking shape “It’s becoming more economical for an international airline to put a direct flight into Melbourne than Sydney, and Melbourne has been quite active and successful in encouraging new airlines.” He said crucially, Melbourne provided a higher level of service at a lower charge. “The fees you pay, and how well the airport operates and delivers services, Melbourne is superior on both,” Mr Abrams said. “Also, Melbourne Airport is curfew free and does a reasonably significant amount of traffic in the 11am to 6am period.” Figures provided by Melbourne Airport showed the lack of a curfew allowed the movement of an additional two million passengers a year, and generated an extra $590 million in visitor spending. “It also provides airlines with scheduling flexibility which is important when it costs them considerably to have an aircraft sitting on the tarmac for eight hours,” said a Melbourne Airport spokeswoman. She said Melbourne was already Australia’s largest airfreight exporter “having overtaken Sydney a few years ago”. “Since 2007, we’ve grown airfreight exports by 49 per cent while Sydney was around four per cent,” the spokeswoman said. Tourists abandoning bomb cars at Sydney airport But Sydney Airport is not about to give up its crown without a fight, and is working “to grow tourism to Sydney and New South Wales”. “Sydney Airport remains the international gateway to Australia and Australia’s busiest airport,” said a spokeswoman. “We have attracted seven new airlines to Sydney over the past four years and look forward to welcoming an additional two international airlines, American Airlines and ANA by the end of the year.”

Originally published as Sydney Airport in danger of losing top status to Melbourne