Airport News

The first commercial flight has departed from Perth Airport’s AU$120m (£80.9m) Domestic Terminal 2 (T2), marking the start of full operations at the first new terminal to be built at the airport for 26 years.

The terminal features a 'walk-in' landscaped plaza leading to the spacious building; a check-in hall with 16 check-in counters and space for new technology, including self-service and bag drop; a large central passenger security screening zone to minimise queuing times; an expansive departures area with high quality retail and dining options, and views across the airfield; a very large aircraft apron with up to 14 aircraft gates connected to the terminal by covered walkways; well designed taxiways for quick turn-around of multiple aircraft in the peak periods; and three large baggage reclaim belts to reduce waiting times.

“We’re very proud of our brand new Terminal 2,” said Brad Geatches, chief executive officer, Perth Airport. “It was completed on time and on budget and we are confident that passengers through this terminal will have a positive experience.”

Passengers arriving at T2 will be able to enjoy an extensive retail area designed to reflect character of the new terminal and the demographics of customer and their requirements. This includes that 90% of the passengers travelling through T2 are resource sector related on charter flights offered by Alliance Airlines and Skywest.

“We’ve made sure that we have great coffee available for those early morning flights provided by Hudsons Coffee and The Coffee Club and, when returning, a nice cold drink from Four Alls Brew House, will welcome them back to Perth while waiting to be picked up,” Geatches explained.

“Family and friends can also relax in the spacious departures area and enjoy a the food and beverages on offer while waiting for passengers to return.

“Subway provides a fast food option and Relay with a tech-2-go store and Hub Convenience will provide for all the forgotten essentials,” he added.

“T2 is not just about good food, we have looked at the whole customer experience. The terminal is spacious, more than double the size of the existing Terminal 3, we’ve maximised the use of natural light to not only reduce power consumption, but to add to the overall feel of the building and, by construction of our own gas fired power station, we are reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 55%,” continued Geatches.

While T2 is the first of the airport’s projects to be completed, work is well advanced on the transformation of the international arrivals journey, according to Geatches, which will see Immigration move to Level 1 in the middle of this year, allowing for the expansion of the baggage reclaim area on the ground floor, and visitors to the airport can now see the new Domestic Pier taking shape.

“These are very exciting times for Perth Airport and the completion of T2 is just the first stage and a critical milestone in an extensive transformation to ensure all our customers have a great experience,” Geatches concluded.