Business Sydney reports that Sydney Airport is on track to record its busiest year ever for international travel.
The Australian air hub reports that nearly 4.3 million international passengers have gone through its T1 terminal between July and September 2025, reflecting a 6.6 percent year-on-year increase.
This surge reflects Sydney’s growing global appeal and the strength of the city’s tourism, hospitality, and retail sectors, which rely heavily on international visitors to drive local spending, jobs, and economic activity.
Among the developments seen throughout Q3-2025 were:
- Chinese arrivals were up 11.6 percent, reinforcing Sydney’s vital role as Australia’s gateway to Asia;
- Arrivals from the United Kingdom rose by 26.1 percent, primarily driven by the British & Irish Lions Tour; and
- Arrivals from regional neighbours Indonesia and Japan were up 12.9 percent and 7.2 percent respectively, showing broad-based regional growth.
A good year for expansion
According to Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou: “Sydney is flying high and so is our economy.”
Nicolaou pointed out that the New South Wales Government’s Aviation Attraction Fund has enabled the ongoing expansion of global connectivity at Sydney Airport.
Indeed, the likes of Turkish Airlines, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Australia, and Qatar Airways have increased their services and capacity at the airport for much of this year..
This growth brings more than visitors to Sydney; rather, it brings renewed vitality to one of Australia’s most dynamic urban centres.
Every flight landing in Sydney supports jobs in the city’s hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, entertainment venues and retail precincts.
At the same time, it fuels small business success and strengthens Sydney’s position as a world-class destination for tourism, investment and trade.
As Nicolaou put it: “Sydney is truly soaring on the world stage and the flow-on benefits are being felt across every corner of our great city.”
