Aussie travellers on the go as Asian airport hubs shine
Airlines in Australia and around the world have reduced flight numbers and increased airfares due to the Middle East crisis, but that hasn’t stopped Australians going abroad.
The country’s largest airport said the March quarter was the strongest in its history for international travel despite the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.
Sydney Airport handled 4.57 million passengers through its terminals at Mascot in the city’s south, up 5.8 per cent on the same quarter last year.
New Zealand and China were the airport’s largest international markets, with passenger volumes increasing by 13.5 percent and 14 percent respectively.
Travel to and from Hong Kong was also strong, up 21.4 percent, and there was also an increase in traffic to Shanghai, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.
Airport chief Scott Charlton said the growth in international traffic was a great result given the US war against Iran, which has caused jet fuel prices to rise and forced many airlines to change their operations.
“Growth in China and across Asia is increasingly supporting travel to Europe and helping offset softer conditions in parts of the Middle East,” he said on Tuesday.
“This performance reflects the resilience of demand for travel to and from Sydney and reinforces Sydney Airport’s role as the country’s primary international gateway.”
As for the second quarter, Mr Charlton said the focus for airlines was likely to be on route changes as they adjusted to higher fuel prices and the possibility of the conflict continuing into June or later.
“From a fuel perspective, the outlook remains stable and consistent with government guidance,” he added.
“There is no current indication of fuel supply constraints impacting airline planning or short-term operations at Sydney Airport.”
Domestic passenger growth was also strong; It increased by 2.1 percent to 6.2 million in the quarter.
Overall, Sydney Airport saw more than 10 million passengers through its domestic and international gates.
“Everything we have seen so far suggests that the aviation market continues to demonstrate adaptability and Sydney Airport is well positioned to support growth as conditions improve,” Mr Charlton said.
Since the crisis began, Qantas has reduced some domestic capacity and increased fares.
But the airline, which does not fly to the Middle East, said it was seeing greater demand for travel to Europe and was reallocating capacity across its US and domestic network to increase flights to Paris and Rome.
Air New Zealand, Air India, Delta Air Lines and Lufthansa have also cut capacity in recent weeks, citing jet fuel refining costs that have risen to as much as $120 a barrel, from pre-war levels of $20 a barrel.
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