Sydney Airport’s massive T2 upgrade to begin in May

Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal is finally undergoing a massive revamp that will see passengers go from kerb to gate in 15 minutes.

Sydney Airport’s $200 million T2 domestic terminal upgrade will officially begin on May 1.

The massive revamp is aimed at getting passengers from kerb to gate in 15 minutes though a more streamlined check-in process, faster security and updated facilities.

The airport’s T2 terminal hasn’t undergone an upgrade of this magnitude for more than 30 years and considering it serves 17 million passengers every year, a change was due.

“We’ve made great progress on security recently, with all passengers clearing processing in less than 10 minutes, but the bottleneck at check-in can sometimes add 30 to 40 minutes,” Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO, said.

“More kiosks and new automated bag drops will streamline the check-in process and, once complete, our aim is for passengers to get from kerb to gate within 15 minutes.”

The new layout will introduce more self-service kiosks and new bag drop technology, allowing passengers to take control of their check-in process and speed up departures.

Construction on the $200 million T2 domestic terminal upgrade to begin on May 1.

The upgrade is aimed at getting passengers from kerb to gate in 15 minutes.

With the airport now processing 1500 bags per hour at peak times, this upgrade will aim to boost capacity to 1800 bags per hour by 2026.

“With 17 million passengers a year, T2 is incredibly important to Australia’s domestic aviation network,” Sydney Airport’s chief operations officer Adrian Witherow previously told news.com.au.

There will be improved check-in, faster security and upgraded facilities to transform passenger experience.

“It’s got holiday-makers, business travellers, and passengers who are heading to Melbourne, Byron, Wagga Wagga and everywhere in between.

“One thing they all have in common is they want to spend less time on processes like check-in and security and more time preparing for meetings or hitting the shops.”

Mr Witherow said that’s why “this upgrade is so important”.

“(Because) it will mean passengers can get from kerb to gate in less than 15 minutes,” he said.

Works are due to be completed by the end of 2026 and will feature “next-generation security technology” and “state-of-the-art scanners” across seven processing lanes totalling 26 metres.

Mr Charlton said they’re putting on extra staff to help passengers.

“[We] want to thank everyone in advance for their patience as we carry out these important upgrades to deliver a faster and more seamless travel experience,” he added.

There will also be dedicated security lanes for family and assistance and two brand new lifts post-security for passengers to access the food court and gate lounges.

Mr Charlton said the new changes will make the T2 experience one of the “fastest and most efficient in Australia”.

To facilitate construction, Rex Airlines and Fly Pelican departures will relocate to the

T3 domestic terminal from April 8, 2025.

Jetstar check-in facilities will also be temporarily relocated by April 28 to share the space currently used by Virgin Australia.