The Sydney Airport, or also known as Kingston Smith Airport, is one of the oldest airports in the world. Flights at a grass field close to Sydney started in the 1920s. Since then three runways have been build and the airport developed into one of Australia's busiest with close to 40 million passengers.
The close proximity to the city and the layout of the runways is causing a lot of noise complaints. Flights in the nighttime are prohibited and there is a maximum of flights per hour. This inflexibility can cause long delays during peak hours as there is no possibility to 'catch up'. Plans were made to build a new airport but those were shelved recently, keeping the airport at its present location for at least a decade.
Most flights from Sydney Airport are to Melbourne and to Gold Coast but there are many more flights to other destinations as well, most of them by Qantas. Every day there are flights to 20 destinations from Sydney Airport. Here are the most popular destinations:
Sydney Kingston Smith airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 is the international terminal for all International flights. Terminal 2 is a domestic terminal for the domestic operations for most airlines. Terminal 3 is for all domestic operations for Qantas and for flights to Canberra with Qantaslink. The International terminal and the domestic terminals are separated by a runway. A shuttle bus service operates between the terminals (at A$ 5.50), be aware that a transfer from international to domestic or vice versa can take at least an hour.
The airport is located in a dense urban area near the sea, just a few kilometers south from the center, and is now completely surrounded by development. The distance between Sydney Airport and the Sydney Opera House is just 10 km.
The airport is well connected to the city thanks to being so close to the city center. All terminals can easily be reached by foot or bicycle from nearby areas.
The airport is connected to the Cityrail Network by the Airport Link underground rail line. There is a station below the International terminal and between the two domestic terminals (under the car park). A ticket to the city would cost A$ 16.38 which includes a hefty A$12 airport station fee.
A shuttle bus that departs from Terminal 3 will drive you to the city and will bring you to your hotel directly for A$ 18.00 per person.
Normal Sydney public buses departing for Burwood or Bondi Junction railway stations will depart in front of the terminals.
See for tickets and schedule: trains: transportnsw.info .
A taxi to Sydney center will cost around A$ 40 which include tolls.
All prices quoted here were found in July 2017
