Travellers bypassing the Middle East for an Asian gateway to Europe have helped Sydney Airport to virtually shrug off disruptions of the US-Iran war.
Almost 10 million passengers moved through the airport in April-June, down just 0.7% for the 2025 quarter, as war disrupted air travel through the Middle East.
But passenger volumes for the first half of 2026 were 1.5% higher on last year, it says, as international passenger traffic grew 2.1% to 8.44 million and domestic passenger traffic grew 1% to 12.29 million.
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton says: “While conflict in the Middle East affected travel patterns during the quarter, demand for travel to and from Sydney remained resilient.
“Growth across Asia helped offset the impact of Middle East disruption, with strong performance across destinations including Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.”
Guangzhou (China) recorded the strongest traffic growth during the quarter, up 50.5% on last year, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) both grew by more than 14% while Singapore rose 8.3% and Seoul grew 8.5%.
Click here to read their Q2 traffic report.
TRAVELLERS SPOILT FOR CHOICE
“The diversity of destinations served from Sydney Airport is one of our greatest strengths,” Charlton says.
“When conditions change in one part of the world, (travellers) and airlines have options across a broad range of markets and connections.”
The airport also recently announced Taiwanese air carrier STARLUX Airlines will operate direct services between Sydney and Taipei next year.
“With more than 20.7 million passengers travelling through the airport in the first half of the year, demand remains ahead of 2025 levels,” Charlton says.
“We also continued to improve the passenger experience during the quarter with further upgrades across Terminal 2, strong operational performance, and new airline and commercial partnerships helping improve choice and connectivity for travellers.”
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