South African Airways is adding a fifth service between Perth and Johannesburg this month. Photo: stock
Perth Airport has declared 2024 to be a bumper year with a record 16.9 million passengers passing through its terminals.
The airport there was an extra 1.6 million passengers last year due to a surge in international travellers and growth in regional and interstate travel.
More than half (56 per cent) was from additional international passengers as numbers grew 23 per cent year-on-year.
Regional routes grew almost 7 per cent and interstate travel also grew by 6 per cent.
Perth Airport’s CEO Jason Waters said the growth in passengers augurs well for the WA economy.
“Perth Airport is a great barometer for the Western Australian economy,” Waters says.
“If Perth Airport is growing, then the Western Australian economy is growing and prospering.”
He says there is “great potential” for further growth as they eye 20 million passengers a year by 2030.
“International travel has enormous potential with Perth Airport and Tourism WA about to host almost 1000 national and international aviation decision-makers for the Routes Asia conference in March,” he says.
SAA EXPANSION
South African Airways says it will add a fifth service to Perth this month, a decision hailed by the airport’s Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove.
“The increase to five services per week on the airline’s Airbus A340-300 aircraft will result in 131,560 seats being available on the route per year which is a massive bump to the Perth market,” she says.
South African Airways operates an A340-300 on the Perth-Johannesburg service.
AIRPORT WORKS
Waters says the airport is undergoing expansion work to cater for future growth.
“We are pushing ahead with our planning and delivery of a multi-billion-dollar investment program to deliver a new runway, new terminal facilities, two multi-storey carparks with major road upgrades, and our first hotel,” he says.
Waters says construction has begun on the first multi-storey carpark with early works for the new runway due to begin in the first half of this year, and work is accelerating on planning and approvals processes for the remaining major projects.
Melbourne and Brisbane airport are also undergoing expansion work amid record overseas travel while a second international airport in Sydney continues to take shape.
