Qantas to Close Sydney Int’l Business Lounge for Major Upgrade

Qantas has finally begun work on a major upgrade of its tired international Business Lounge at Sydney Airport.

Having been first announced in 2018 (yes, more than seven years ago – and originally due to be completed by the end of 2019), this lounge upgrade is long overdue.

The new lounge that will replace the current one will be a big improvement. There’s just a small problem: the refurbishment will take until 2027 and Qantas needs to put all the displaced lounge guests somewhere in the meantime.

Qantas opening a temporary Business Lounge at Sydney Airport

Qantas will open a temporary international Business Lounge at Sydney Airport on 8 December 2025, which it will use throughout the construction period. This is located in a space below Gate 31 which is normally used as a sign-on and briefing room for Qantas flight crew. This was previously used as a Qantas lounge back in the 1990s.

Qantas already stopped using this space as a crew room in July, in preparation for the main Business Lounge refurbishment to begin.

This space can hold around 150 people. That’s not enough to replace the lost capacity while the regular Business Lounge is closed. Therefore, during peak periods, Qantas may send some passengers to the Plaza Premium Lounge instead.

It’s also possible that, during the construction period, Qantas might:

• Stop accepting Qantas Lounge Invitations during the construction period
• Stop accepting passengers flying on third-party airlines outside of Oneworld (e.g. China Eastern or LATAM)
• Send some passengers to other airlines’ lounges, such as the Emirates Lounge which is currently closed for a large portion of the day (a bit like Qantas is currently doing in Auckland)

What can we expect from the new Qantas international Business Lounge in Sydney?

Qantas has promised that its new international Business Lounge at its Sydney hub will have around 40% more capacity, with more than 600 seats. This should ease the overcrowding issues in the longer term.

The interior design will be inspired by Sydney’s “unique lifestyle and geography”, including Bondi Beach and the Blue Mountains.

The airline says that this new lounge will have a refreshed “signature” food and beverage selection including a hosted bar. There will also be a dedicated family zone and luxury bathroom facilities, and 80% of seats will have USB-C and wireless charging stations.

The highlight of the refurbished lounge, though, is likely to be a 150 square metre outdoor terrace. This looks like it will be a great new feature.