The complete, player curated guide, for SYD
Post created by: @Thatflyerguy
Post edited by:
Current through WoA 2.6.3
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING UPDATED to bring it up to current levels after the current re-work.
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Sydney Kingsford-Smith International Airport
(IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY)
General Info: SYD is the 11th unlockable airport in WoA, and is located south of downtown. It is primarily home to Qantas and Virgin Australia, as well as Jetstar. Where the airport is situated, flights have been occurring since as early as 1911 but Sydney Airport was officially opened on the 9th January 1920, with the first gravel runways being constructed in 1933 and was officially named Kingsford Smith after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, an Australian aviation pioneer, in August 1936.
In 1950 it was rated one of the busiest airports in the world and expansion was needed leading to the Cooks River being diverted away around the Western side of the airport between 1947 and 1953. This diversion allowed for the building of the first 2 paved runways at the airport, 07/25 followed by 16/34. At the same time in November 1953, a new tower was built along with a fire station, replacing the tower on the 1940s terminal, the tower being demolished in 2005.
In the 1960s, Runway 16/34 was expanded to take larger aircraft and then again to its current length in 1972 as it was designated a site for a potential NASA Space Shuttle emergency landing spot. Also in the 1960s, the old terminal was expanded and modernised before being replaced in 1974 with the new current Qantas domestic terminal. The Ansett terminal was expanded at the same time to accommodate more flights. In the 1960s as well, the airport gained the new international terminal, formally opened by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in May 1970, with the first 747, a Pan Am Clipper, arriving in October of that year.
In 1989, the airport began construction on Runway 16L/34R alongside an expansion of the international terminal to take more flights. Many changes and renovations were carried out throughout the 1990s to prepare the city for the Sydney 2020 Olympic games and to support the growth of airlines like Virgin and international airlines like Singapore and Emirates in their expansion. In 1995 the Sydney Airport Curfew Act was implemented, limiting flight times in an attempt to prevent noise pollution at night as well as a cap on 80 aircraft per hour operating in and out of the airport, to further limit noise pollution. More expansions happened in the 2000s and the new Sydney Airport Master Plan was unveiled in 2013 for completion by 2033 with the idea for combined Australian operations to be at the current domestic terminal with the international terminal remaining just that but with Virgin Australia moving in there (Not sure if this is still going ahead though). A new master plan for 2039 was unveiled in 2018 to minimise congestion as they forecast the amount of passengers doubling between 2018 and 2039.
The airport can accommodate aircraft of all sizes from A to F Class with a G Class cargo stand for the AN-225.
Unlock Requirements: reach level 81 at LHR
Airport overview
Accepted airplane categories
Summary
Stand costs and terminal unlock costs
Summary
Limitations
Summary
Recommended strategies:
Player Strategies
@Hirohitoswaifu suggests: I recommend expanding the domestic terminal (Eastern) first, even if unrealistic, allowing for aircraft to land on Runway 16R to continuously land with no interruptions as aircraft from that terminal all use 16L to takeoff, as well as prioritising passenger traffic and contracts. However, the new cargo stands to the North use Runway 16R so they will cause delays in how fast you can get aircraft on the ground. The international terminal (Western) traffic and all cargo stands use 16R for takeoff so you effectively halve the speed of your airport, though if you want F Class aircraft, you are forced to operate them from the international side and using Runway 16R. Though I’m a big livery player and try to keep ops semi-realistic so I suffer the pain haha.
Other information
SYD unlocks BKK at level 76, and has 78 total levels.
It is the least connected airport in the game due to its lonely place in southern Australia.
Old SYD wiki pictures
Credit to Geo (@TechnocraticAviation) for the airport maps