Kingsford Smith Airport

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
IATA: SYD ICAO: YSSY
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Leased Commonwealth Airport
Operator	Sydney Airport Corporation Limited
Serves	Sydney
Location	Mascot, New South Wales, Australia
Hub for	Jetstar Airways Qantas Regional Express Airlines Virgin Australia Tigerair Australia
Elevation AMSL	21 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	33°56′46″S 151°10′38″E / 33.94611°S 151.17722°E / -33.94611; 151.17722Coordinates: 33°56′46″S 151°10′38″E / 33.94611°S 151.17722°E / -33.94611; 151.17722
Website	sydneyairport.com.au
Map
SYD Show map of Sydney SYD Show map of New South Wales SYD Show map of Australia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 07/25 2,530 8,301 Asphalt 16L/34R 2,438 7,999 Asphalt 16R/34L 3,962 12,999 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers (Jan to Dec 2016) 41,870,000 Aircraft movements (2013-2014) 327,190 Airfreight in tonnes (2012) 444,419 Economic & social impacts (2012) $13.2 billion & 146 thousand
Source: AIP Passenger and aircraft movements from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics

Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY; ASX: SYD) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia located 8 km (5 mi) south of Sydney city centre, in the suburb of Mascot. It is the primary airport serving Sydney, and is a primary hub for Qantas, as well as a secondary hub for Virgin Australia and Jetstar Airways. Situated next to Botany Bay, the airport has three runways, colloquially known as the east–west, north–south and third runways.

Sydney Airport is both the longest continuously operated commercial airport and oldest commercial international airport in the world, the world's oldest continually operating commercial airport, and the busiest airport in Australia, handling 41,870,000 passengers in 2016 and 326,686 aircraft movements in 2013. It was the 38th busiest airport in the world in 2015. The airport is managed by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) and the current CEO and MD is Kerrie Mather. Currently 46 domestic and 43 international destinations are served to Sydney directly.

The land used for the airport had been a bullock paddock.Nigel Love, a former wartime pilot, was looking into the possibilities for aviation in Australia. He was interested in establishing the nation's first aircraft manufacturing company. This idea required him to establish a factory and an aerodrome close to the city. His search for a potential site eventually led him to a real estate office in Sydney which was aware of some land owned by the Kensington Race Club (that was kept as a hedge against losing its government-owned site at Randwick). It had been used by a local abattoir, which was closing down, to graze sheep and cattle. This land appealed to Love, the surface was perfectly flat and was covered with a pasture of buffalo grass. This grass had been grazed so evenly by the sheep and cattle running on it that it required little to make it serviceable to land aircraft. In addition, the approaches on all four sides had no obstructions, it was bounded by a racecourse, gardens, a river and Botany Bay.