Transport costs to Sydney's new airport: Is it worth it for you?

The freshly built terminals of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will open to eager holiday-makers in a matter of days.

Located 45 kilometres from Sydney's CBD and 18 kilometres from Penrith's city centre, the Badgerys Creek aviation hub will run around the clock when commercial flights take off on October 25.

It is set to bring the world to Western Sydney's doorstep, but is a trip from there worth it for all travellers in Greater Sydney?

Rico Merkert, chair in transport and supply chain management from the University of New South Wales, said it was ultimately important to consider the door-to-door journey for those chasing a cheaper holiday.

"You have to account for two things, transit time and then also the cost to get to and from the airport as well," he said.

Which airlines are flying?

The new airport will complement Sydney's Kingsford Smith in Mascot, which is limited to a curfew between 11pm and 6am and is heavily congested by slot allocation constraints.

With less restrictive scheduling, the 24/7 operations of WSI are attractive for international low-cost carriers that want to capitalise on profitable peak flying times.

Gulf carrier Qatar Airways is the latest airline to call WSI home, announcing on Wednesday it would offer flights to Hamad International Airport at Doha from December 2027.

It is expecting to offer daily flights from late 2028.

Qantas, Jetstar, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have also announced routes from WSI.

The most recent airlines to sign on were VietJet and Fiji Airways, with cheap flights on offer to service Western Sydney's Vietnamese and Fijian communities.

According to WSI, over 500,000 people travelled between NSW and Vietnam in 2025 alone, while 400,000 passengers travel to Fiji annually.

Premier Chris Minns was also hopeful Western Sydney could provide a steady stream of passengers into New Delhi and met with Air India representatives last month, although no deal was reached.

How much does it cost to get there?

There will be three main ways to get there when flights begin taking off.

Train

The Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport Line will be the fastest mode of public transport to WSI when it is completed in 2027.

But until then, travellers will have to make the commute via shuttle bus from St Marys station, located about 20km away.

From there, free WSI Linkshuttle bus services will run every 30 minutes though the commute via bus will take twice as long as a ride on the metro.

Transport for NSW said when the line does become operational, "passengers will be able to travel from the broader rail network via St Marys Station to Western Sydney International Airport in around 15 minutes".

Bus

To cope with the lack of rail options, there are additional bus routes operating through Mount Druitt, Penrith, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Leppington.

A trip from anyone of those locations could take anywhere between 30 minutes to over an hour, with an adult fare starting from $5.77 during peak time, according to Transport NSW's trip planner website.

At the moment there is no direct public transport route for those living in inner Sydney, so people who are travelling from Central Station will need to change over at either Mount Druitt, Leppington or Penrith.

The quickest way to get there will be via a train from Central then a bus from Penrith with a commute time of about 1 hour and 40 minutes and a $10.31 fare.

For people willing to spend a little extra to save a bit of time, the Super Shuttle WSI offers express bus services from Parramatta CBD and Sydney CBD.

For an adult travelling from Sydney CBD to WSI, a one-way ticket costs $55 and a return trip is $80. The journey is expected to take 45 minutes to 60 minutes, depending on traffic.

Those heading from Parramatta CBD will get the best deal, with one-way adult tickets going for $25 and $45 return, and a commute time of up to 45 minutes.

The Super Shuttle also provides the only direct airport transfer from WSI to Kingsford Smith, which will cost $65 one-way and take around 60 to 75 minutes.

Car

The new toll-free M12 motorway will be the fastest travel option for most parts of Sydney.

WSI estimated at least a third of the city's population live within a 45-minute drive to the airport, and to accommodate the demand the airport's made over 6,000 car spaces available.

In its launch pricing announcement, WSI promised three hours free parking for visitors, $15 a day for long-stay, $29 a day for uncovered bays and $49 a day for covered.

There is also the option of travelling by taxi or rideshare from WSI but it will come at a heftier price.

Currently, only Sydney Airport uses a fixed-fare system for people travelling by taxi from the airport to the Sydney CBD area, which is capped at a $60 fee.

WSI hasn't announced any caps, meaning a taxi trip from the airport to Penrith CBD could cost about $81, while a rideshare is estimated to be slightly cheaper at about $60.

Why best savings may come later

Professor Merkert said naturally a second airport brought down airfares through more competition and that the Western Sydney catchment would benefit from the most savings.

However, he said there was no definitive answer to what sort of savings travellers could expect and when, as jet fuel prices continued to surge during the conflict in the Middle East.

"Maybe the airlines will be unable to really offer super low airfares, until that conflict in the Middle East is resolved," he said.

"Airlines have a duty to their stakeholders and shareholders, they won't be able to operate those flights for very long if they if they don't make any profits on those routes, right?

"If jet fuel prices sort of stay stable, or come down a bit, then it will also lower fares mainly through low-cost carriers."