It appears that Sydney Airport officially opened the new $500 million expanded and upgraded departure level of its international terminal earlier this week. This is a big time for air travelers and a huge week for Sydney Airport.

The unveiling ceremony was actually attended by Australia’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Hon Anthony Albanese MP. Also, 150 aviation industry representatives showed up for the event, which did include the Chairman of Sydney Airport, Max Moore Wilton, and Sydney Airport’s CEO, Russell Balding.

Mr Balding said that the revamped international terminal will provide a better travel experience for the ever growing number of international travelers that use the Sydney Airport. This upgrade is part of a $1.7 billion investment that Sydney Airport has made since 2002, with about $700 million invested in just the last two years.

He went on to say that passengers will be able to continue to benefit from ongoing investments, with a further $1 billion in planned capital expenditure over the next five years. Their main goal is to provide travelers with an enhanced travel experience that they cannot get anywhere else. It’s a strategically important investment that will leave visitors with a positive and lasting impression of Sydney.

Balding finished up by saying that, overall, Sydney is Australia’s most popular tourist destination. More than 10.6 million international passengers arrived and departed through Sydney Airport last year. Thus, this was one upgrade that was well deserved.

This upgrade is big news for the Sydney Airport. Air travelers will be able to look forward to more breakthroughs in the years to come.