Celebrating women in aviation: Meet three inspiring women at Sydney Airport

With around 33,000 workers across around 800 different organisations at Sydney Airport—it truly is a thriving metropolis.

To mark International Women’s Day 2025, we are shining a spotlight on the crucial role women play in making Sydney Airport a leading global airport connecting Australia to the world.

Meet three brilliant women who proudly work around the clock to keep staff and passengers safe, serve our passengers and ensure that Sydney Airport continues to innovate.

Meet Angela Webb – Swissport SYD Domestic Trainer

For Angela, working at the airport was always a dream, even if she never expected to end up here.

With a background in retail, Angela was looking for a career change when she joined Swissport in April 2021 as a ground handler.

First starting in the bag room, she quickly upskilled to driving airside vehicles and now operates loaders, receives planes and dispatches.

Her hard work and passion led her to a new role as a trainer, where she now teaches new recruits how to handle ground operations.

"I like teaching new people coming in. There’s lots of people that have changed careers, from real estate to CEOs—they all have a passion for aviation and they've come here to give it a go," Angela said.

"I’ve come from retail—I previously worked in fashion and jewellery. I should have started aviation much earlier, it’s a lot more exciting. It's never too late if you want to pursue something different, just do it.”

"My favourite part is dispatching the plane. What's unique is being up close with the aircraft—not many people get to do that and it's very exciting."

Her next goal?

Becoming a pushback driver, responsible for moving aircraft away from the terminal before takeoff.

Meet Esther Ho – Sydney Airport Operations Business Support Manager

Esther never imagined she’d work in aviation.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Sydney, she studied Commerce at UNSW, spent a year living in Japan and later built a career in finance.

Then, during COVID lockdowns, an unexpected opportunity came her way.

She took a leap of faith, joined Sydney Airport in August 2021, and has since become a key player in aviation operations.

"I never thought I’d love it as much as I do. I’ve definitely caught the aviation bug," Esther said.

"I really love our people—everyone here has a genuine, infectious passion for aviation! I’m very grateful for the opportunities Sydney Airport has given me to expand my horizons."

One of her biggest projects has been improving airside bussing—an essential service that transports passengers from the terminal to remote aircraft bays.

She helped develop a new app that replaces outdated manual reporting, allowing drivers and operations teams to track bus movements and passengers in real time.

Until the Eastern Expansion opens in 2030, finding innovative ways to seamlessly transition passengers from terminal to planes is critical.

Currently, 20-30% of passengers are bussed from terminal to aircraft during morning peak. “Simple initiatives like this are really helping the team embrace technology. The airport is a definitely a big jigsaw puzzle of many different roles—no project is done solo, it's a very collaborative effort at Sydney Airport.”

For Esther, if she could give advice to her younger self, it would be this.

"Never say never. Enjoy the ride that is life. You never know where life will lead you and be open to new opportunities.”

Meet Sally Harvey – Detector Dog Handler, Sydney Airport Biosecurity Team (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)

For Sally, a career in biosecurity was a long time coming.

As a veterinary nurse for almost two decades, she wanted to pursue her passion for working with working dogs.

In December 2023, she found her perfect fit, joining the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry biosecurity team at Sydney Airport.

She trained as a Detector Dog Handler and now works in the biosecurity team screening passengers and baggage for biosecurity risks with her trusty partner Umi, a black Labrador.

"Umi is one of the hardest working females in this airport—we do about 20,000 steps a day. She is very keen to get through those bags,” said Sally.

“The bond me and Umi have is something special. It's complete trust and love—she wants to work for me and she'll do anything to please me, and I'm much the same with her. She has my heart and it just makes the day so much more fun.”

Sally’s job is about more than just working with dogs. It’s a role that combines her love for animals with a deep sense of purpose in protecting Australia’s borders.

“The biosecurity team here in Sydney are predominantly female. Teamwork is crucial to the running of an international airport to ensure safety first and foremost. The top skills needed would be patience, an eye for detail, communication and a hard-working attitude.”

Accelerating action for a brighter future for all women

Angela, Esther, and Sally each have different stories, but they share something in common—a passion for aviation and the determination to thrive in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate these brilliant women and the many others who make Sydney Airport a hub for innovation, progress and excellence.

Watch the video or find out more about how Sydney Airport supports women to thrive.