The three-month trial, run in conjunction with Sydney Airport and SITA, commenced this week at Gate 10 and is designed to gather information on potential benefits including fewer boarding pass errors. The gate technology will be in use at Western Sydney International when it opens this year.
The two gates, opening this week, are the latest stage in the airport’s overhaul, which also included a $130 million runway overhaul that completed last year, allowing it to handle larger aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.
A total of 34 airports, mostly council-run, have received payments through the Regional and Remote Airport Support Program to “manage any debts linked to the voluntary administration of Rex Airlines, and maintain the essential aviation services they provide for their communities”.
The $19.1 million runway extension, which will allow larger aircraft to operate to the airport unrestricted, was funded by $15.1 million from the Commonwealth, $2.5 million from the WA government and $1.5 million from the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley.
The inaugural Soaring Scholarships have been granted to students from 18 schools in the Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly areas.
The terminal was evacuated for a safety check after the item was discovered at around 6am, according to reports from the ABC, with the passenger arrested at the scene but not charged. Several arriving and departing flights, including to Brisbane and Sydney, were delayed or cancelled.