First look at Perth Airport’s new terminal designed by Western Sydney’s architects

A new 159,000sqm terminal is the centrepiece of Perth Airport’s multi-billion-dollar One Airport project, with the lead architect also behind the design of Western Sydney International Airport.

Perth Airport has released updated concept designs for its new terminal that would bring the airport’s four terminals together in one precinct. The designs draw on Western Australia’s landscape and Whadjuk Noongar Country.

The new terminal is the centrepiece of a broader multi-billion-dollar One Airport transformation programme. It will consolidate airport operations and make Qantas a central hub, under a deal signed with the Australian flag-carrier in 2024. Currently, Perth’s international and domestic terminals sit about 12km apart, with passengers transferring between them by complimentary shuttle bus or taxi.

Perth Airport’s new terminal targets growth to 30.8 million passengers

Perth recorded a record 18.4 million passengers in FY2026, including 5.5 million international travellers. The airport expects that total figure to reach 30.8 million over the next 20 years.

The terminal is designed to facilitate that growth. At 159,000 sqm, it is nearly triple the size of Terminals 3 and 4 and 25% larger than the combined size of Terminals 1 and 2. It will have 22 contact gates for wide- and narrow-body aircraft, including ‘swing gates’ that can switch between international and domestic use.

Passengers will benefit from 22 new contact gates to accommodate a variety of wide- and narrow-body aircraft. The new gates will include “swing gates” that can switch between international and domestic operations, as needed.

“Ultimately, the New Terminal will strengthen Perth’s position as Australia’s western gateway and generate new opportunities for the state,” said Perth Airport CEO, Jason Waters.

Inside Woods Bagot’s design for Perth Airport’s new terminal

The designs were developed with Australian architecture firm Woods Bagot. The “Big Sky/ Deep Earth” theme draws on the relationship between Western Australia’s vast sky and the ancient land of Whadjuk Noongar Country.

The architects say they have embedded cultural knowledge, local landscapes, climate and light into the building, with sustainability and accessibility for all central to the design.

“A good airport moves passengers efficiently, but a great airport also gives them a sense of the destination they are in,” continued Waters. The designs for the new terminal, he continued, “deliver both outcomes.”

New runway, hotel and roads form wider One Airport project

Perth’s One Airport project also includes a new parallel runway, two multi-storey car parks with associated roadworks, an upgrade of Terminal 2 and the airport’s first hotel.

Perth Airport’s property arm, Skyfields, is overseeing 250 hectares of developable land across the 2.015-hectare Airport Estate. The land is earmarked for business, lifestyle and leisure developments 15 minutes from the Perth Central Business District.

The airport currently generates around $6.6 billion a year in economic benefit for Western Australia. The airport forecasts that figure will rise to about $18 billion a year by 2046.  Currently, around 95% of visitors to the state arrive by air.

“My government remains focused on growing aviation capacity and working closely with Perth Airport and airline partners to expand our tourism sector, as part of our work to diversify the economy and create more local jobs for Western Australians,” said Western Australian Premier Roger Cook.

The architects behind Western Sydney International Airport

Woods Bagot was also the lead architect on Western Sydney International Airport, which welcomed its first passengers on 25 October. WSI was designed as a relief valve for Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. Woods Bagot worked with builder Multiplex to develop the reference design by ZHA Architects and COX Architecture into the finished terminal.

Woods Bagot CEO Sarah Key, who was also the project director, described the airport as a “front door for Western Sydney’s two million residents and for everyone behind it. For a lot of people, it will be where they say goodbye and where they come home.”

The design draws on the Cumberland Plain, the Blue Mountains, local waterways and the stories of Dharug Country, with sandstone walls and an ochre and earth-tone palette.

“One of the great risks on a project of this scale is that it starts to lose its connection to place,” said Neil Hill, Woods Bagot Principal and WSI lead architect.

“Our role was making sure that relationship remained visible in the details, the materials, the views and the experience of moving through the building.”

Qantas consolidation promises easier connections at Perth Airport

WSI sets a benchmark for Perth. Australia now has a curfew-free airport with domestic and international gates under one terminal roof, and airlines are weighing up where to put new capacity. Carriers including Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Jetstar and Qantas have already committed to WSI. It signals sustained confidence in Australia-bound long-haul demand.

Perth is pitching for a share of that growth. A seamless connecting hub on Australia’s west coast would appeal to airlines and passengers alike. Qantas already has plans to move all services from Terminals 3 and 4 into the new terminal.

However, there is a caveat. Perth’s consolidation has been discussed for decades and has been delayed by obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Waters has not disclosed firm timelines or costs of the new terminal. He has indicated that preliminary work could begin within 12 months, but he has also warned travellers to expect disruption during the construction period, according to ABC.

With WSI already open, Perth is playing catch-up, even though its long-term plan is well aligned with where the industry is heading.