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http://www.smh.com.au/business/sydney-airport-flies-high-on-aussie-dollar-20101022-16xt8.html

Sydney Airport flies high on Aussie dollar
Matt O'Sullivan
October 23, 2010

AUSTRALIANS taking advantage of the strong dollar by travelling overseas have helped Sydney Airport record a 17 per cent rise in earnings over the past three months.

The strength of the dollar against most currencies - notably the US dollar - has seen the airport chalk up 9 per cent growth in passenger traffic over the nine months to September 30.

The strong Australian dollar is a boon for airports in outbound travel demand but does put a dampener on foreign arrivals.

Advertisement: Story continues below Sydney Airport yesterday reported a 17 per cent rise in pre-tax earnings to $200 million for the three months to the end of September. Revenue rose 13 per cent to $240 million.

The increase in passengers passing through the terminals at Kingsford-Smith, the country's largest airport, also helped boost retail revenue by 11 per cent in the third quarter. Last month average daily passenger traffic at both the international and domestic terminals at Kingsford-Smith broke through the 100,000 mark for the first time.

As the industry emerges from the downturn, Sydney Airport also expects airlines including Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and United to increase capacity on international routes by the end of the year.