Perth Airport Unveils 159,000sqm Terminal as Part of One Airport Plan

Perth Airport has released concept designs for a 159,000sqm terminal — nearly triple the size of Terminals 3 and 4 combined and 25% larger than Terminals 1 and 2 together. The building is the centerpiece of the airport's multi-billion-dollar One Airport consolidation, which folds all flight services into one central precinct. Australian firm Woods Bagot delivered the architectural concept, branded "Big Sky/Deep Earth," drawn from the WA sky and Whadjuk Noongar Country.

The terminal adds 22 new contact gates. Several will be "swing gates" capable of switching between international and domestic operations. That matters for airline economics: flexible gate allocation raises airside utilization and lets carriers time-shift widebody deployments without duplicating terminal infrastructure.

What does this change for capacity?

Perth handled a record 18.4 million passengers in FY26, including 5.55 million international travelers. By FY46, the airport forecasts 30.8 million total passengers, with international numbers more than doubling from FY25 levels to 11.4 million. The New Terminal is the physical answer to that curve.

Passenger-facing features the airport says will cut queue and dwell time include:

• Automated check-in and bag drop, including oversized items
• A high-tech baggage handling system supporting baggage reclaim on demand and courier pick-up and drop-off
• Call-to-gate initiatives to reduce gate queues
• A single co-located domestic and international security checkpoint

Amenity plans cover roughly 10,000sqm of retail, dining and hospitality, plus sensory rooms, multi-faith rooms, a playground, parent rooms and a central landscaped courtyard. Designers promise abundant natural light and views to the airfield and Perth Hills. These are renderings, not built assets; the airport has released concepts, and functional claims remain to be tested against delivered works.

What did the airport and government say?

CEO Jason Waters framed the design as both functional and symbolic.

"A good airport moves passengers efficiently, but a great airport also gives them a sense of the destination they are in – this design delivers both outcomes," Waters said. He added that the design team "has also considered the hundreds of small things that will add up to a better experience for everyone."

Waters also cited sustainability and accessibility ambitions. "We have aimed high when it comes to building sustainability into the design, as well as ensuring accessibility for people of all ages, ability and background," he said, arguing the terminal will strengthen Perth's position as Australia's western gateway.

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook tied the project to the state economy, noting that 95% of visitors to Western Australia arrive by air. "This multi-billion-dollar investment further strengthens Perth's position as Australia's Western Gateway," Cook said, pointing to government focus on growing aviation capacity with the airport and airline partners to expand tourism, diversify the economy and create local jobs.

What are the economics?

Perth Airport currently generates around $6.6 billion in annual economic benefit to Western Australia. With One Airport delivered — a new runway, road upgrades, transport hubs, a hotel and urban development — that figure is forecast to reach roughly $18 billion a year by 2046. That is a projection, not a result. The forecast assumes full delivery of a program whose main terminal package has only just reached tender.

What happens next?

Procurement for the New Terminal main works package has entered a request-for-tender phase. Early contractor involvement follows, with contract award targeted for 2027. No construction completion date appears in the released material — a gap worth watching, given the passenger forecast already assumes the terminal is operating well before FY46.

Until contract award and a construction schedule land, the 159,000sqm building exists on paper. The capacity, gate flexibility and $18 billion economic case all depend on execution over the next two decades.