When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, Australia closed its borders, causing international flights and the tourism industry to cease operations. Since reopening, the country's tourism industry has rebounded, contributing significantly to the nation's GDP. "International visitor trips to Australia increased by 36% in 2023/24 compared to the previous year," according to Tourism Research Australia. This resulted in an AU$17.7 billion increase for the GDP from tourism.
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) leads in international flights scheduled for departure from April to December 2025. As per Cirium, a company specializing in aviation analytics, SYD plans to host 30,734 international flights covering an average distance of 4,268 miles, offering 8,594,859 seats.
In terms of population and international flights, Greater Sydney, home to SYD, has a population of approximately 5,557,233 with the highest number of scheduled flights at 30,734, followed by Melbourne's 21,292 flights from its airport MEL, as indicated by statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.