Adam Thorn

The airport has described the challenging upgrade as being like “open heart surgery” but said the new process would eventually reduce the number of lost items.

It significantly follows 170 flights into and out of the NSW capital being cancelled last week just as NSW’s school holiday getaway began.

The Flying Kangaroo will add 16 flights between Sydney and Melbourne and Christchurch and Wellington, alongside another 50 interstate flights within Australia.

The move — revealed earlier this year as part of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) into the military — is part of a broader shake-up that will see the newly formed No. 1 Space Surveillance Unit (1SSU) assume operation of Defence’s space domain awareness capabilities.

The investment will include renovations and the construction of new facilities to accommodate the helicopter and crew, which will arrive from 2025.

The disruption follows Airservices Australia, which oversees air traffic control, switching the country’s biggest airport off parallel runway operations on Friday as winds peaked at 37km an hour.