Extra staff, spare planes, more SmartGates – how travel industry is preparing for record summer

More staff, spare planes and extra SmartGates are on order as airports and airlines prepare for their busiest summer ever.

Australia’s biggest gateway is expecting to see enough passengers to fill almost 12,000 Qantas A380s over the next six weeks, as summer holiday season takes full flight.

Domestic and international bookings suggest 5.8 million people will pour through Sydney airport from December 13 to January 27, almost half a million more than the same time last year.

Record numbers of international travellers will lead the onslaught, with 2.53 million passengers set to fly in or out of the airport, beating the 2019 high of 2.5 million. Domestic passengers are also expected in huge numbers at 3.29 million, up 9 per cent on last year but still shy of pre-pandemic figures of 3.37 million.

Friday is shaping up to be the busiest day through the domestic T2 and T3 terminals, with more than 81,000 people departing or arriving into Sydney.

The T1 international terminal will have to wait until next year for its biggest crowd, with more than 62,000 passengers booked to travel on January 4.

Sydney Airport chief executive Scott Charlton assured travellers there would be plenty of staff on hand to ensure everyone got away safely.

“With our multimillion-dollar capital program currently under way, which includes significant construction works and security upgrades, passenger journeys may be different than usual,” Mr Charlton said.

“We strongly encourage passengers to plan ahead and allow ample time for their journey.”

Redevelopment works were also occurring at Melbourne and Brisbane airports, with both expecting big numbers of travellers.

In the six weeks from Friday, 4.8 million people were forecast to fly in and out of Melbourne, and Brisbane was preparing for more than 3 million passengers.

Virgin Australia's preparing for a record breaking summer with extra staff rostered and spare aircraft lined up to add resilience to operations.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said airport carparks were operating with fewer bays due to construction of the elevated expressway, so passengers should plan and book ahead. Ms Argus also said the airport was working with Australian Border Force to secure more SmartGate kiosks to help process international arrivals more efficiently.

With a record 1.8 million international travellers booked on flights in and out of Melbourne, Ms Argus said the airport’s current allocation of SmartGates was insufficient to cope.

“We have recently opened new, larger passenger amenities in international arrivals which are a significant upgrade on what was there before, but we still have major works under way on the baggage system,” Ms Argus said.

Overseas travel was also set to reach record levels in and out of Brisbane, where the domestic and international terminals were both undergoing major security upgrade works.

Airport spokesman Peter ­Doherty said it was important international travellers arrived three hours before their flight, and domestic passengers should allow at least 90 minutes.

“People who have not been to Brisbane Airport for a while will notice some changes, which is even more reason to leave ample time before catching a flight,” Mr Doherty said.

New Zealand, Japan and Bali were tipped to see the lion’s share of Australians travelling abroad over the summer, while Melbourne was ranked as the top domestic destination.

Qantas and Jetstar had more than 65,000 flights scheduled in December and January, with close to 9 million people set to take off.

Virgin Australia also had a packed schedule with up to 3000 flights a week, including extra services to popular destinations including the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Cairns.

To ensure everyone reached their destination, Qantas and Virgin were placing several aircraft on standby to help recover customers in the event of disruption, along with additional pilots and crew.

Qantas was awaiting the return of another A380 before the end of the year, and Virgin was taking ­delivery of two former Rex 737s to initially be used as spares.