The airport says that inbound passengers from Auckland (QF144) and Queenstown (QF122) can fill their declaration digitally through a Qantas app before they fly.
Airport chief executive officer Scott Charlton says the trial is a partnership with the airline and Australian Border Force (ABF).
“Every international service brings in $130 million in annual economic benefit and supports 1200 full time jobs, so making our border processes more efficient is an important investment in boosting national productivity.”
The trial is a key project of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, which is working towards contactless travel using digital credentials and facial recognition.
Brisbane Airport has been using the app on selected flights with New Zealand since October 2024.
WARM WELCOME
Federal Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke predicts the trial card will be welcomed by passengers at Sydney.
“Extending the trial to Australia’s busiest airport means every day, hundreds more passengers will have a more seamless travel experience,” he says.
Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the trial’s expansion is another step forward to simplified travel.
“This pilot is helping simplify traveller clearances while ensuring strong biosecurity protections at Australia’s borders,” she says.
“Expanding the pilot is a win-win for incoming travellers and for Australia’s proud agricultural industry which is protected by our world-renowned biosecurity system.”
ABF Commissioner Gav Reynolds says bringing the trial to Sydney Airport is huge for industry and passengers alike.
“A significant amount of collaborative work between industry and government, has gone into this pilot program,” he says.
“It is now entering the next phase as we continue to … create a seamless travel capability.”
Qantas International & Freight CEO Cam Wallace says they are the first Australian airline to introduce the digital passenger card.
“The overwhelmingly positive response from customers in Brisbane demonstrated just how much demand there is for this innovation,” he says.
Upon landing at Sydney Airport, eligible passengers will receive a digital pass with a QR code which they show to border and biosecurity officers.
To help, Sydney Airport recently installed eight new ABF SmartGate kiosks at T1, boosting processing capacity by 640 passengers per hour.
The airport says that by early next year, another 32 new kiosks will be operating across the international terminal, double the current number.
