Kerrie Mather
Below: Kerrie Mather
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Sydney Airport
Key points: • The privatisation of Australia’s airports has been a case study in good reforms to infrastructure markets. • Since privatisation, Sydney Airport has invested circa $2.7 billion in airport infrastructure. • There are practical benefits to the operational integration across the Kingsford Smith and proposed Western Sydney airports. • Landside transport and other infrastructure connections are critical to the Western Sydney Airport, and will need support across the tiers of government and the community.
Sydney Airport is adapting to changes in aviation, and is working to ensure that Australia remains internationally competitive. We are also working to ensure that the Western Sydney Airport is set up for success.
Sydney Airport’s role in Australia’s international competitiveness As it’s a publicly listed company with an enterprise value of around $20 billion, anyone can own a piece of Sydney Airport. Our investors are superannuation funds that represent millions of Australians. Sydney Airport plays a critical role in the national aviation network, forming the core hub of aviation and air travel in Australia. It’s one of the largest and most important transport infrastructure facilities in Australia, and has the scale of a small city. 18
futurebuilding
Volume 6 Number 1
It contributes $30.8 billion to the New South Wales economy – almost 6.4 per cent of gross state product (GSP) – and this is forecast to grow to $54 billion by 2034. With New South Wales contributing around one-third of Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP), Sydney Airport’s contribution to Australia is significant. The airport supports thousands of businesses and generates 307,000 jobs, including 29,000 jobs on the site itself for 800 businesses. It is also the home base for our domestic carriers, including Qantas and Virgin. It is the national gateway, welcoming 40 per cent of all international arrivals to Australia and competing globally with the likes of Paris, London, New York and Vancouver airports to attract airlines and aircraft. Sydney Airport also works with government, and with industry bodies such as Tourism Australia, to take a targeted and collaborative approach to growing tourism and aviation for the benefit of Australia’s community and economy. This year, Sydney Airport has attracted five new airlines that will bring significant inbound benefits for tourism, including AirAsia from Indonesia, which starts operations in October. As a result, Sydney Airport will be the number one airport in the world for long-haul, low-cost carriers. Sydney Airport also sponsors major tourismdriving events, such as the Sydney Festival, and Chinese New Year, which is the largest event of its kind outside of mainland China. We work with partners to provide a positive impression of Sydney and Australia for international visitors, and the 150,000 people that visit the airport every day.
