Passenger numbers moving through Australian airports hit record numbers this holiday season, with more than 2.4 million people being processed by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
The first weekend of the year is traditionally one of the busiest periods for our officers. This year, more than 465,000 passengers were processed between 4 January and 6 January – up from 450,000 over the same weekend last year.
However, the busiest day of the holiday season was 22 December, with almost 160,000 people moving through Australian airports in a 24 hour period.
Between 21 December and 6 January, the ABF processed 1.14 million inbound passengers and 1.29 million outbound passengers – a total of 2,436,437, a 3% increase from the same period last year.
Sydney Airport saw the highest number of passenger movements with the ABF processing 1,013,611 passengers between 21 December and 6 January. Melbourne Airport saw 628,547 passengers processed during the same period.
Acting ABF Assistant Commissioner Port Operations Command, Claire Rees praised the work of ABF officers at Australia's international airports during this busy time.
"ABF officers facilitated the movement of on average more than 143,000 passengers each day through our international airports nationally during the Christmas period, an increase of 3% over the same period last year," she said.
"For many ABF officers, performing their duties during this busy time meant spending time away from their family and friends and missing out on celebrations over the Christmas period to ensure the safety and security of the Australian community. I would like to thank all of our officers for their dedication in protecting Australia's borders 24 hours a day, every day of the year."
Total passenger movements at major Australian international airports from 21 December 2018 to 6 January 2019:
Canberra – 3,805
Sydney – 1,013,611
Darwin – 15,468
Brisbane – 352,261
Cairns – 39,192
Gold Coast – 61,164
Adelaide – 62,526
Melbourne – 628,547
Perth – 259,837
