Perth Airport has posted its second consecutive record year, handling 18.39 million passengers in the 12 months to 30 June 2026—up 5.2 % on FY25. International traffic led the surge, climbing 8.1 % to 5.55 million travellers as Western Australia reaps the benefits of new routes to Guangzhou, Johannesburg and Tokyo. The growth comes amid a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure programme, including a A$1 billion parallel runway and terminal upgrades aimed at turning Perth into a true “one-stop hub” between Africa, Asia and the east coast. Capital expenditure hit A$335 million last year, with projects such as multi-storey car parks and expanded aprons already under construction. CEO Jason Waters said robust resources-sector demand and a rebound in leisure travel underpinned the numbers. The airport’s ‘One Airport Vision’ envisages seamless domestic-international transfers—critical for fly-in-fly-out workforces and connecting long-haul services. For mobility professionals, the capacity boost means more seat availability on key business routes and greater competition on fares. Exporters also stand to gain: international belly-cargo capacity has returned to 131 % of pre-COVID levels, improving supply-chain reliability for perishables and mining equipment. State tourism officials are leveraging the record to lobby for further visa-processing resources in Perth, arguing that faster e-gates and on-site bio-security labs will be needed once the new runway opens in 2029.
Source: Business News Australia
