At 11.22am, a Jetstar aircraft soared into blue skies from Western Sydney International Airport, marking the start of passenger flights and a new era for both Sydney and the country.
Looking on from the departure gates at flight JQ362 bound for the Gold Coast were hundreds of guests, many of whom played a key role in the development of Australia’s first major new airport in half a century.
Moments earlier, from the departures area looking out to the Blue Mountains, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially marked the opening by unveiling a commemorative plague.
“Everyone who has been part of this story along the way can feel proud today. It has been a long and remarkable journey for all of us,” he said.
Albanese said that the city had looked to the harbour and the CBD for too long, and the new $6 billion airport would turn that around to where people lived and worked in western Sydney.
On Jetstar flight JQ362 was Gold Coast resident Mark Ignativ, 54, who was the first to check in physically in the terminal.
“It’s rarer than a solar eclipse to be on the first flight from a new airport. It’s pretty unusual, especially in Australia,” he said.
“It’s very exciting. I’ve been here when it’s only farms and houses. Now it’s finally open, it’s really a game changer. A city this size needs at least two airports.”
He admitted he was a “little bit” of an aviation enthusiast but “I’m not the type that sit on ladders with telescopes”. He is heading back to western Sydney from the Gold Coast on the return Jetstar flight.
Another on board was Hong Kong resident Jaing Liu, who flew to Sydney to join her daughter, TT Huang, to be part of history on the first flight.
“This is a rare chance to be part of history. My mum is very excited,” said Huang, who lives in Sydney and describes herself as a plane enthusiast.
Flying the A320 out of the new airport were Jetstar captain Guy Proctor, 51, from the Gold Coast and first officer Aglaya Papadokokolakis, 25, from Blacktown.
“It’s definitely a privilege to have this opportunity. It’s a very special flight. To have the opportunity to fly out of an airport in my backyard is an amazing, amazing opportunity. It’s very special day,” Papadokokolakis said.
The pilots are flying the return leg from the Gold Coast to the new airport.
The inaugural passenger flight comes three months after cargo aircraft started flying to the curfew-free airport at Luddenham, on the city’s western fringe.
The airport is officially named after pioneering aviator Nancy-Bird Walton, known as the “Angel of the Outback”. Among the guests was Walton’s daughter, Tweed, and the aviator’s granddaughters.
Western Sydney Airport chairman Paul O’Sullivan said the opening was the result of sustained conviction, adding that it had from benefited from bipartisan political support.
“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.
“For decades, this airport existed only in the imagination of a small group of people with a bold vision. Today, that vision is a reality, and today is also evidence that Australia can deliver major infrastructure projects safely, on time and on budget.”
Western Sydney Airport chief executive Simon Hickey said the airport was future-proofed and built to serve the city for the coming century. “When I think about that future, it’s genuinely difficult to fathom the impact Western Sydney International will have on greater Sydney,” he said.
Among guests were former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, federal Labor ministers Chris Bowen, Don Farrell, Jason Clare and Michelle Rowland, as well as Premier Chris Minns and NSW governor-general Margaret Beazley.
Jetstar will operate up to 14 weekly flights between the new Commonwealth-owned airport and Melbourne, daily services to the Gold Coast, and three a week to Brisbane.
Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said taxis or Uber rides for people travelling to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport were often the most expensive part of the journey.
“For the people that live in this area, it’s just a massive step change to access and frequency and departures. This airport provides a choice for people in NSW, which they’ve never had before,” she said.
“Our Gold Coast service we increased frequency before we even took off. So that shows you there’s great demand for travel from people that live in this area.”
Air New Zealand will become the airport’s first international carrier on Monday when Flight NZ165 is due to arrive at 7.55am from Auckland, which will be followed over coming months by flights carried by Singapore Airlines, Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet and Fiji Airways.
Last week, Qatar Airways became the fifth foreign airline to commit to serving the new airport, unveiling plans to operate three flights a week between Doha and western Sydney from late next year.
Qantas will begin flying from the new airport on March 28 next year, operating four flights a week to both Melbourne and Brisbane using Embraer E190 aircraft.
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