Western Sydney International Airport opened to passengers on October 25, with Jetstar’s first departure to the Gold Coast beginning operations at Australia’s first major new airport in more than 50 years. Flight JQ362 left at about 11:20 a.m.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a commemorative plaque as passengers, airport staff and spectators gathered for the launch.
The airport, officially named Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, is at Badgerys Creek. Its round-the-clock operating model gives Sydney an alternative to the overnight restrictions at Kingsford Smith, the city’s established airport.
Western Sydney airport begins with domestic flights
The first flight sold out. ABC News reported that check-in opened at 8 a.m., with a return service from the Gold Coast due that afternoon and the first Melbourne departure scheduled for 6 p.m.
Blacktown-raised Greek-Australian pilot Aglaya Papadokokolakis was assigned to the inaugural departure. Speaking to ABC, she called it “such an honour” and a moment she would remember throughout her career.
International services follow the domestic launch. The federal government’s announced timetable puts Air New Zealand’s Auckland service on October 26 and Singapore Airlines’ daily Changi service on November 23. Qantas is scheduled to begin Brisbane and Melbourne flights on March 28, 2027.
Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said the new airport would shorten the journey to a flight for people living in western Sydney. Crowds also watched the first takeoff from roads outside the airport, while politicians and other officials attended the opening.
Initial capacity of 10 million passengers
The terminal is designed for about 10 million passengers annually, rather than the much larger volumes envisaged for a fully expanded airport. Chief executive Simon Hickey told ABC that traffic would build gradually toward that initial capacity in the early to mid-2030s.
An eventual capacity of 82 million passengers would require additional terminals and another runway, with that scale envisaged for the 2060s. The federal government says the project involved 15 years of planning, seven years of construction and a year of testing.
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