Sydney Airport
| Continent: Oceania | Country: Australia |
| Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport |
|
| Location | Sydney, Australia |
| IATA code | SYD |
| ICAO code | YSSY |
| Airport type | Commercial |
| Website | [www.sydneyairport.com.au/ www.sydneyairport.com.au/] |
| Overview map | [ ] |
| Communications | |
| Tower | 120.5 rwy 16R-34L & 07-25 / 124.7 rwy 16L-34R |
| Ground | 121.7, 126.5 |
| Clearance | 133.8 |
| Approach | 135.1 |
| Departure | 123, 129.7, 118.4 |
| ATIS | 126.25, 112.1, 428 |
Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport is the main airport for Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1920, it is Australia's largest airport and is the world's oldest continually operated commercial airport. The airport is named after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the famous aviator who was the first to fly across the Pacific Ocean. Home to Qantas Airways, Sydney Airport is also regularly served by over 50 other airlines, domestic and international. Currently, more than 26 million passengers pass through the airport each year.
Sydney Airport has some excellent spotting locations, with movements on all three runways (16R-34L, 16L-34R and 07-25) clearly visible from at least one spot each. Sydney is home to a large community of aviation enthusiasts, many of whom regularly take advantage of the great views from popular viewing locations such as the Tower Mound and the Beach.
Official Spotting Locations
International Terminal Observation Deck
The only official spotting location at Sydney Airport is the observation deck located in the northern part of the international terminal. The observation deck incorporates the Esky Bar, and food, drinks and seating are available. This makes it a comfortable place to spend some time spotting. The best views from the deck are of 16R takeoffs and landings, and 34L takeoffs. The Sydney skyline provides a nice backdrop for aircraft on approach to 16R. Views over the northern part of the international terminal and of aircraft taxiing to and from the domestic terminal are also good. Part of runway 07-25 is visible, but the observation deck is not a good spot for watching movements there.
The observation deck can be accessed through the Esky Bar, which is located at the far northern end of the international terminal check-in hall. This is to the left as you enter through any of the main doors. The deck is on the level above the departures level, so you have to use the stairs or lift from the outdoor seating area of the Esky bar in order to get up to it.
Photography is best in the afternoon and evening, when the light is best. The approximate required lens focal length is 50 to 300mm, though 200mm is still fine as a maximum. The best place to shoot from is right at the top of the stairs up to the deck. This is useful for everything except 16R approach photos (in front of the city) and some cargo apron movements. For these, it is necessary to use the convenient holes in the glass wall at the far northern end of the observation deck, just next to the lift.
Sample photos from the top of the stairs:
Sample photos through holes in the glass: