Highly anticipated airport gets opening date confirmed
The international airport, which has been under construction for decades, is finally scheduled to open in October.
Western Sydney International Airport’s inaugural flight will begin on October 25, with managers promising to help ease demand on some of Australia’s busiest domestic routes.
Jetstar and Qantas tickets go on sale from Wednesday morning and the budget airline will operate a total of 21 flights a week to Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Qantas will begin flights to and from the airport in March 2027.
The first flight from Sydney’s second airport will be on the Jetstar service to the Gold Coast at 11am on 25 October.
WSI managing director Simon Hickey said the services announced on Wednesday morning were a starting point and would increase availability and give customers more choice.
“Despite global conflicts that continue to challenge the industry, today’s domestic ticket launch is another vote of confidence in Western Sydney International Airport and the opportunities this fast-growing region offers for the future of air travel in greater Sydney,” he said.
Two international routes (Auckland and Changi) were previously announced.
The airport, located about 45km west of Sydney CBD, was finally approved in 2017 after decades of discussions about a second airport dating back to the 1980s.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commissioned a joint study on how the second airport could be delivered when he was a minister in 2011.
“I said at the time that it wasn’t a question of if Sydney needed a new airport, it was a matter of when,” he said on Wednesday.
“I want to thank the tens of thousands of people who have planned, built and are currently testing the airport and surrounding infrastructure over the years.”
Unlike Sydney Airport, which is subject to a curfew from 11pm to 6am, the airport will operate 24 hours a day.
Vanessa Hudson, chief executive of Qantas, whose group also owns Jetstar, said this was an important moment for Australian aviation.
“Jetstar has an incredible track record of growing new markets and being the first airline to launch will provide better access to one of the fastest growing regions of the country, at low fares, to some of our most popular destinations,” he said.
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