Why can't SYD offer pre clearance to enter US like Abu Dhabi

Why can't SYD offer pre clearance to enter US like Abu Dhabi

It would require dedicated gates and separate boarding area, given the constraints of Sydney Airport this would be difficult.

It also requires US Border Agency personnel to be based in Australia. It would be an excellent posting opportunity for them but the cost would be prohibitive for the US Federal govt.

I suspect in Abu Dhabi, the government is part funding it. It would be a poor way to spend tax payer funds for the Commonwealth to do it here; not to mention the scandal if it was done only for Sydney.

"I suspect in Abu Dhabi, the government is part funding it."

I'd venture further to say @ AUH, it's EY and/or AUH airport authority funding almost all of it.  No airlines carry pax to fly AUH-U.S. routes except EY.  In the battle for U.S. intercon connecting pax against EK+DXB and QR+DOH, a U.S. CBP pre-clearance facility is a unique weapon @ AUH to aid EY's assault on the mkt....

Tomato tomato... Is there a distinction?

Like cherry tomato is the same as the good old big fat tomato and therefore interchangable on the dish to be served to a picky billionaire pax sitting in F Residence on the upper deck of a EY 380 enroute to AUH?

I don't know, may be no distinction....

Depends what the picky billionaire's attitude is to sound corporate governance...

I know quite a few famous billionaire, typically residing in Asia, create those "sound corporate governance" policies and hv  absolute right to choose to personally comply or not.  Heck...they can even choose to comply local corp laws /listing rules or not occassionally in a few jurisdictions without consequences.

Whether they are picky or not about tomato I hv no idea....

"...require dedicated gates and separate boarding area."

Agreed.  But I think the largest consumption in terminal space will be in the dedicated/sterile check-in area.  For a typical foreign terminal with U.S. CBP pre-clearance, a pax actually need to go thru immigration+custom 1st before he/she can proceed to the check-in desk(Cannot be used for non-U.S. flights) for bag drop.

Ignoring the financial aspects, U.S. CBP pre-clearance @ foreign location typically makes sense either for under-utilized int'l terminals(e.g. AUH) or int'l terminals dominated by hi-traffic volume to the U.S.(e.g. Canadian /Irish airports)

When I used pre clearance at YYZ, the CBP area was behind the check in desks.

Check in, bags tagged etc, take bags to area located behind check in desks, go through CBP, drop tagged bags on belt after clearing CBP.

Every time I've gotten a US flight from SYD, it's been from gates 8, 9 or 10. These gates are in a wing which has now been seperated from the rest of the concourse with the US required random extra screening placed at the doors. Which other gates at SYD also get used for US flights?

Would a pre clearance set up at SYD even be worth it? There are 9-10 flights/day to the US (SYD-HNL/LAX/SFO/DFW) with all the mainland flights within the same ~4 hour block in the mornings and the HNL flights in a block in the afternoon.

Not to menion its not SYD's decision to do this, its a Federal Government responsibility

Some airlines don't like it as well