Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) welcomed its first passengers today, with Jetstar operating the inaugural commercial flights from Australia’s first major new airport in more than 50 years. Travel Weekly reports from WSI.
The airport was officially opened on October 25, marking a milestone for Australian aviation. The 24-hour facility is expected to expand capacity, increase airline competition and give travellers across the rapidly growing Western Sydney and surrounding regions more choice.
Jetstar’s inaugural domestic services to the Gold Coast and Melbourne mark the beginning of passenger operations at the airport, which has been designed to accommodate domestic and international travel under one roof.
Flight JQ365 to the Gold Coast took off around 11am this morning.
‘Australia’s best airport’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the opening as “a great day for Western Sydney, a great day for Sydney, great day for New South Wales, and a great day for the nation”.
“Western Sydney International is our first new major airport for more than five decades, and a wonderful new chapter in the life of our nation,” he said.
“One that will better connect Australians with each other and better connect Australia with the world.”
“This is not Sydney’s second airport. This is not Western Sydney’s best airport … this is Australia’s best airport, without question, in the way that it will function carrying forward.”
The airport has been decades in the making, with planning and advocacy stretching back to the 1980s. Its opening represents a significant addition to the country’s aviation infrastructure, located around 50 kilometres west of central Sydney.
WSI chief executive officer, Simon Hickey, said the first passenger flights represented the realisation of a long-held ambition for Western Sydney.
“For decades, countless people have advocated for an airport in Western Sydney and the social and economic benefits it would provide,” he said.
“Today, that ambition will become a reality as we mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our city’s cultural heartland.”
Hickey said the airport would expand travel options for passengers and airlines, with the facility expected to connect travellers to more than 250 destinations around the world just over a year from now.
“We’re going to continue to roll out this airport with travel operators around the world, so people come here and they know how easy it is to get through to wherever their travel destination is,” he said.
New competition and more connectivity
WSI opens with capacity for up to 10 million passengers annually, with long-term plans to scale up to more than 80 million passengers a year.
Its round-the-clock operations are expected to provide additional capacity for the Sydney aviation market, giving airlines greater flexibility to introduce services and routes outside the operating hours of existing facilities.
Addressing the press, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said the airport could potentially put downward pressure on fares by increasing competition.
“Having the capacity constraints that we’re having at Sydney Airport, putting more airlines, more passengers into the system certainly does have competition, and…we hope that also, with competition, brings down pressure on prices,” she said.
A passenger on the inaugural JQ365 flight, Jetstar chief executive officer Stephanie Tully said the new airport would bring low-fare travel closer to home for those living in and around Western Sydney.
“For many customers, the Uber or taxi across the city has been the most expensive part of their trip. From today, for three million people who live in and around Western Sydney, low fares start a lot closer to home,” she said.
Accessibility will be an important consideration for travellers during the airport’s early stages, with the Metro connection not scheduled to open until 2027.
Getting to WSI before the Sydney Metro arrives: what you need to know
International flights take off tomorrow
The first international passenger service from WSI is scheduled to depart for Auckland on October 26, with Air New Zealand becoming the first international airline to connect Western Sydney with New Zealand.
Air New Zealand chief operations officer – ground and inflight, Kate Boyer, said the service would support connections between the two countries, including family travel, business and tourism.
“We’re incredibly proud to be the first international airline to connect Western Sydney with New Zealand,” she said.
Singapore Airlines is scheduled to begin services from WSI on November 23, while Vietjet plans to welcome its first passengers at the airport in January 2027. Fiji Airways will follow in March 2027 with direct services to Nadi, while Qatar Airways has confirmed plans to launch flights in December 2027.
Qatar Airways to fly into Western Sydney International from December 2027
Qantas has also confirmed plans to begin passenger flights from the airport in March 2027. The Qantas Group is already operating freight services from WSI, following the opening of its cargo precinct in July.
‘An instant new national icon’
WSI chairman Paul O’Sullivan said the opening fulfilled a long-standing national infrastructure ambition.
“Just like the Opera House more than 50 years ago, WSI is already becoming an instant new national icon.”
This is more than the opening of a building; it fulfils a nation-building promise to deliver a new 24-hour international gateway for Australia,” he said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns pointed to the scale of the project and its delivery as a significant achievement.
“There’s an old saying when it comes to construction: you measure twice and cut once. We’ve measured this place about 350 times but we’re only cutting it once…earlier than expected and on budget,” he said.
“It may have taken 80 years, multiple governors, 19 potential sites, 3,500 workers and 40 kilometres of Australian steel but we can proudly say Sydney has a second airport, and it looks magnificent.”
As passenger services ramp up, WSI is expected to become an increasingly important part of Sydney’s aviation network, bringing more domestic options and international connections to the rapidly growing region of Western Sydney.
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