Travellers warned of upheaval as new Perth Airport terminal plans unveiled

Perth Airport's chief executive is warning travellers to prepare for major upheaval over the next few years as it consolidates its terminals and finally brings Qantas into a central hub after years of delays.

Jason Waters said there would be lots of construction work around the airport and warned travellers to plan for delays as a new domestic and international terminal is built at the Airport Central location.

While preliminary work is set to begin in the next 12 months, there is uncertainty around the total cost and completion date.

Competing for resources

When Qantas and Perth Airport signed a deal in May 2024 to build the new terminal and a new parallel runway at a cost of $3 billion, it was planned to open in 2031

Mr Waters today released renders of the design for the terminal, but was unable to say with certainty if that budget is still current and when it would be finished.

"There's a long way to go on the project before we get to a stage where I would have a final view on time and cost, although at this stage my expectation is that we're on target," he told reporters.

The project faces tight competition for resources, with construction of AUKUS-related infrastructure in the Henderson defence precinct and the Westport container port, road and rail in Kwinana also on the agenda.

Years of delay

The airport is currently split into Terminal 1 and 2 on the east side of the runways, with 3 and 4 located on the west side — an eight-kilometre drive or bus ride between the two, that has left more than a few passengers irate.

Qantas currently operates both its domestic and international services from Terminals 3 and 4 but will shift its operations to the main terminal after 2031.

The project to consolidate the airport terminals has been discussed for decades but has hit many obstacles.

In 2023, Premier Roger Cook accused Qantas of "dawdling", saying it was holding the state back from becoming the "western gateway to Australia".

Plans were released in 2019 for a $2.5 billion upgrade to the international terminal that would allow space for Qantas to move in.

But that stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic and Qantas refused to pursue the deal amid commercial pressures.

Today Mr Cook put that behind him, saying the airport's "global reach continues to soar to new heights".

"We're looking forward to the next chapter for Perth airport with a new world class precinct set to deliver a major boost to Western Australia's economy," he said.

'A lot happening'

Mr Waters predicted preliminary work would start on the new terminal within 12 months.

Before: Perth Airport's international terminal pictured in 2007.. . After: Pictured again in 2026. (Supplied: Nearmap). .

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"We're going to be bringing thousands of construction workers onto the terminal site and that means there are going to delays and challenges for passengers but we're going remain open 24/7 through the entire construction period," he said.

He urged passengers to keep that in mind when they planned their journey to the airport.

The airport redevelopment also includes construction of two new car parks, with one completed and due to open later this year, and construction of a hotel, expected to start late next year.

Train uptake slow

A passenger train line opened in 2022 providing direct access to the Airport Central precinct from Perth's CBD.

But a common complaint is the station's distance from the Qantas terminals, with people then having to either walk up to 20 minutes with luggage, or catch a shuttle bus.

"Currently only about four per cent of people who come and go from the airport use it," Mr Waters said of the Airport Line.

But he said the move to one precinct would incentivise people to use the train. 

It comes as the new $5.6 billion Western Sydney International Airport opened to passengers on the weekend.

"Western Sydney is a beautiful airport and in fact we've leant heavily on aspects of the design work that they did," he said.

"The benefit of following them is though we can just make it a little bit better."