Airports are making more money with fewer passengers – are Australians losing out?

The agency that looks into whether Australians are getting ripped off – the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) – has released its latest report on the country's four largest airports.

So, how much are the airports making?

Sydney Airport made $570 million in the last financial year, though they say this number is inflated by back-payments they were owed.

Melbourne Airport made just under $200 million, which isn’t that far ahead of Brisbane Airport, which made $194 million – despite nearly 12½ million more people travelling through Tullamarine.

Perth was the only airport to experience a fall in profits, making just $70 million and blaming a large spend on security upgrades.

So, what was the money-maker? Surely not $20 airport beers? No – it was car parking. Brisbane made the most from car parking, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.

What do the public think about Australia’s airports?

The ACCC report grades the airports on a scale from very poor to excellent. All four airports received a “Good” rating, based mostly on passenger opinions. In contrast, airlines rated them only “satisfactory”, complaining about aircraft parking, baggage facilities, check-in areas, aerobridges, and public amenities.

In 2023–24, Sydney Airport recorded an aeronautical operating profit of $570.5 million, representing a 20.2 per cent return on its aeronautical assets. Sydney Airport advised that both its aeronautical revenues and operating profits were inflated by back-payments received during the financial year from contractual agreements with airlines. These agreements started on 1 July 2022, but the terms were not finalised until the 2023–24 financial year.

Brisbane and Melbourne Airports reported aeronautical operating profits of $194.7 million and $198.9 million respectively, despite Brisbane catering to far fewer passengers than Melbourne. Both airports reported a 64.1 per cent increase in aeronautical operating profit in 2023–24. Perth Airport was the only monitored airport to report a fall in aeronautical profits, down by 29.1 per cent to $70.7 million after a significant increase in security and depreciation expenses.

Operating profits from car parking grew for all four airports in 2023–24. Brisbane Airport made the largest profits, increasing by 21.1 per cent to $113.4 million. Melbourne Airport made an operating profit of $108.1 million from car parking, followed by Sydney Airport with $95.6 million, and Perth Airport with $70.7 million.

Ratings by airlines generally fell, and all four airports received only a “satisfactory” result. The most common airline concerns related to aircraft parking facilities, baggage facilities, common user check-in areas, aerobridges, and public amenities.