Perth Airport’s new Terminal 2 – now open

The first commercial flight from Perth Airport’s new $120 million Domestic Terminal 2 (T2), Skywest XR 141, departed this morning at 7.30am bound for Esperance.

The Gorman family, who participated in the Advanced Trial to test the systems and processes of the new terminal two weeks ago, were among the first passengers to see the fully operational terminal in action.

McKenzie Gorman, eight, said that he had been disappointed on the day of the trial when he realised that he was not going on a ‘real aircraft’ (buses were used instead), but he knows that today will more than make up for it.

“I’m really glad to be going on a plane and not a bus!” he said. “It’s my first time and also the first time for my sister Grace who’s three and my brother Liam who is 13.”

“We’re very proud of our brand new Terminal 2,” said Brad Geatches Chief Executive Officer Perth Airport. “It was completed on time and on budget and we are confident that passengers through this terminal will have a positive experience, including McKenzie and his family.”

The retailers in T2 have carefully considered the unique character of the new terminal and the demographics of customer and their particular requirements. This includes that 90 per cent of the passengers travelling through T2 are resource sector related on charter flights offered by Alliance Airlines and Skywest.

“We’ve made sure that we have great coffee available for those early morning flights provided by Hudsons Coffee and The Coffee Club and, when returning, a nice cold drink from Four Alls Brew House, will welcome them back to Perth while waiting to be picked up,” Mr Geatches said.

“Family and friends can also relax in the spacious departures area and enjoy a the food and beverages on offer while waiting for passengers to return.”

“Subway provides a fast food option and Relay with a tech-2-go store and Hub Convenience will provide for all the forgotten essentials,” he said.

“T2 is not just about good food, we have looked at the whole customer experience. The terminal is spacious, more than double the size of the existing Terminal 3, we’ve maximised the use of natural light to not only reduce power consumption, but to add to the overall feel of the building and, by construction of our own gas fired power station, we are reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent,” Mr Geatches said.

T2 is conveniently located next to the current International Terminal (T1) and provides a more seamless journey for people in regional Western Australia wanting to fly overseas,” said Mr Geatches.

As the first new terminal to be built at Perth Airport for 26 years, T2 features:

• access via a ‘walk-in’ landscaped plaza to a spacious terminal building,
• a check-in hall with 16 check-in counters and space for new check-in technology, including self-service and bag drop,
• a large central passenger security screening zone to minimise queuing times,
• an expansive departures area with high quality retail and dining options, and views across the airfield,
• a very large aircraft apron with up to 14 aircraft gates connected to the terminal by covered walkways, providing full protection from the elements,
• well designed taxiways for quick turn-around of multiple aircraft in the peak periods, and
• three large baggage reclaim belts to reduce waiting times.

“While T2 is the first of our projects to be completed, work is well advanced on the transformation of the international arrivals journey, which will see Immigration move to Level 1 in the middle of this year, allowing for the expansion of the baggage reclaim area on the ground floor, and visitors to the airport can now see the new Domestic Pier taking shape,” he said.

“These are very exciting times for Perth Airport and the completion of T2 is just the first stage and a critical milestone in an extensive transformation to ensure all our customers have a great experience.”