Sydney Airport traffic down 97% in April but charter flights take off

Passenger numbers at Australia’s busiest airport might be down 97 per cent, but one small airline is making hay while the sun shines.

Qantas planes parked on the tarmac at Sydney Airport, which has seen a 98 per cent fall in passengers. Picture: Getty Images

Ongoing travel restrictions took a staggering toll on passenger numbers through Sydney Airport in April, with just 43,000 international travellers and 49,000 domestic passengers passing through Australia’s biggest gateway.

The total figure of 92,000 passengers was less than the airport saw in one day in April 2019, when an average 122,766 people passed through the international and domestic terminals, or 3.6m for the month.

Domestic travellers were down 97.9 per cent on the same time last year, and international passengers down 96.9 per cent, in a scenario the airport expected to be repeated until restrictions were eased.

Australian and New Zealand travellers recorded the most dramatic declines of 98.9 per cent month on month, while US passengers plunged 97.9 per cent and Chinese travellers fell 96.7 per cent.

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For the 12 months to April 30, travellers through Sydney Airport were down 12.3 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period, from 44.2 million to 38.8 million.

Big jump in charter

The gloomy figures came as Brisbane-based operator Alliance Airlines released a positive trading update, with an expected annual profit before tax in excess of $40m.

Although some aspects of the airline’s business were being badly affected by COVID-19 restrictions, Alliance reported a substantial increase in demand for its charter services.

“The additional demand is being driven by a combination of social distancing and a lack of availability of scheduled flights by other operators,” said the update to the ASX.

“Alliance’s operational expertise and flexible approach has seen a significant number of new resource sector clients take up charter services and the expectation is that this level of revenue will continue through the 2021 financial year.”

In a show of support and gratitude to staff, Alliance announced all employees employed for the entirety of the 2020 financial year would be eligible for free shares to the value of $1000.

“The impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and one of the reasons that Alliance has been able to continue its excellent financial performance during this time is its staff,” noted the update.

Shares in the airline have staged a steady recovery in the last six weeks, after sinking to a low of $1.03 in early March. At the opening of trade on Wednesday, Alliance shares were at $2.11 still some way off their pre-COVID-19 level of $2.65.