First international flight takes off from new Sydney airport

Newswire reports that an Air New Zealand aircraft arriving from Auckland landed at Western Sydney International Airport on Monday, October 26, and later took off, inaugurating a service scheduled three times weekly. Ada Derana and Hiru News also report the airport’s opening to passengers.

Newswire says the airport in Sydney’s western suburbs started domestic passenger flights on Sunday and freight operations in July. The single-runway facility followed more than four decades of planning and cost A$5.3 billion, not including nearby transport projects, according to Newswire.

Air New Zealand chief operations officer Kate Boyer described the launch as a rare opportunity for the airline and said the area is home to more than 2.5 million people, according to Newswire. Airport chief executive Simon Hickey said the airport’s round-the-clock operations provide airlines with added flexibility and give travellers more options, Newswire reports.

Newswire compares the new airport with Kingsford Smith, Sydney’s main airport, which it says has three runways and carried more than 42 million passengers last year. Kingsford Smith is in Botany Bay, about nine kilometres from the city centre, and passenger aircraft are barred from operating there overnight; Newswire says the new airport has no equivalent restriction. Jetstar is its main domestic airline, with flights to the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Brisbane, according to Newswire.

Newswire reports that Qatar Airways is expected to start service in December 2027, Fiji Airways in March 2027 and Vietjet Air in January 2027. The airport can be reached by road, Newswire says, but its report provides no further transport details.