Perth Airport has released renders of a new central terminal at Airport Central that will bring Qantas and the rest of the airport into one precinct, and its chief executive has warned travellers to expect years of construction disruption.
Jason Waters released the designs on Monday 26 October and warned of major upheaval over the next few years, the ABC reported. “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.
“As importantly as anything, plan ahead your journey. Don’t get caught out last minute because from here on in, over the next five or six years, there’s going to be a lot happening at Perth Airport,” Mr Waters said, according to The West Australian.
Cost and Timing
Qantas and Perth Airport signed a deal in May 2024 to build the terminal and a parallel runway at a cost of $3 billion, planned to open in 2031, the ABC reported.
Premier Roger Cook gave the same $3 billion figure for the development on 26 October. He said it would open in 2031 and add 4.4 million seats to and from Perth each year, with Qantas and Jetstar moving to the new precinct, according to The West Australian.
Mr Waters was unable to say with certainty whether the $3 billion budget still holds, the ABC reported. “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 said.
Preliminary work is due to start within 12 months of 26 October, according to both outlets.
An Airport in Two Halves
The airport is split in two. Terminals 1 and 2 are on the east side and Terminals 3 and 4 on the west, an eight-kilometre drive or bus ride apart. Qantas runs its domestic and international services from Terminals 3 and 4 and will move after 2031, the ABC reported.
The Airport Line opened in 2022, and Mr Waters said about 4% of airport users take it. Bringing the airport into one precinct should lift that figure, he said.
A History of Delay
In 2023 Mr Cook accused Qantas of “dawdling”, and a $2.5 billion upgrade released in 2019 stalled during the pandemic, the ABC reported. The project will also compete for workers and materials with AUKUS-related work at Henderson and with the Westport project at Kwinana.
Five or Six Years of Building
The wider redevelopment includes two new car parks and a hotel. One car park is finished and due to open by the end of 2026, and construction of the hotel is expected to start late in 2027, the ABC reported. The West Australian said the hotel build would resume late in 2027 or early in 2028, with the hotel to open before 2030.
Biometric technology will track passengers from entry to seat to manage queues, according to The West Australian. Mr Waters said the airport had drawn on the design of Western Sydney International Airport, which opened to passengers on Sunday 25 October, the ABC reported.
He said, according to The West Australian: “The plans are still being firmed up, but in 12 months, you’ll start to see the early signs of the future taking shape.”
“This investment further strengthens Perth’s position as the western gateway to Australia, an important role given that 95 per cent of our visitors to Western Australia come by air,” Mr Cook said, according to The West Australian. He said, according to the ABC: “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.”
More transport news is in our Transport & Infrastructure section.
Sources: ABC News, “Perth Airport chief warns of upheaval, delays as ambitious project to consolidate terminals nears”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-26/perth-airport-upgrades-update-warning-of-delays-during-project/107309572); The West Australian, “Perth Airport’s $3 billion upgrade will make it quicker than ever to start your holiday, Premier promises”, 26 October 2026 (https://thewest.com.au/business/aviation/3-billion-perth-airport-upgrade-will-make-it-quicker-than-ever-to-start-your-holiday-c-23069887)
Photo: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Perth Airport’s control tower and Airport Central station, in the precinct where the new terminal is planned, seen from the Terminal 2 car park in December 2021.
