Photo: Australian Border Force Newsroom

The first weekend of the year is traditionally one of the busiest periods for our officers and 2018 was no exception, with more than 450,000 people arriving and departing between 5-7 January, almost 7 percent more than the same period last year.

Between 22 December 2017 and 7 January 2018, a total of 2,370,142 travellers were processed, an average of almost 140,000 per day.

Almost a million of those travellers passed through Sydney International Airport, with 458,827 arrivals and 507,946 departures over the period, up 4.6 percent.

There was an 8.7 percent increase in passengers at Adelaide airport (62,251) and an 8 percent increase in Brisbane (337,649).

Passenger numbers at Canberra (6,188) and Townsville (2,557) airports were also up significantly as international services increased.

23 December was the busiest single day of the year for ABF airport officers with 74,383 arrivals and 79,769 departures across the country.

Almost 60 percent of passengers were able to quickly self-process through our state-of-the-art SmartGates.

Acting Assistant Commissioner, Strategic Border Command, Tim Fitzgerald, said Australians should be assured that the ABF is well placed to deal with increasing passenger numbers and the security challenges these present.

“Thanks to our advanced border screening technology, including SmartGates, and the dedication and professionalism of our officers, we are able to efficiently process large volumes of legitimate travellers while also focusing our efforts on those who pose a risk to the border,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald said.

“ABF officers play a critical role in identifying and processing individuals who cross our borders to ensure the safety of the Australian community and have access to a range of innovative technologies."

Each year an average of 40 million people are cleared through the border at Australian international airports and this number is expected to rise to 50 million by 2020.