History will be made this Sunday when the first flight out of the newly built Western Sydney International (WSI) airport takes off, with experts calling it a ”very significant moment” in Australian aviation.
Located about 44 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD, the airport will operate 24 hours a day, as opposed to the Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport which is subject to night curfews from 11pm to 6am.
Swinburne University aviation expert Salim Hijazeen told NewsWire this creates new opportunities for passengers and airlines alike.
“It is a new opportunity for the travelling public given there is no curfew, so it opens up various opportunities for domestic and international travel,” Mr Hijazeen said.
He said it may take some time for the full benefits of the new airport to open up, it will allow for additional opportunities that currently do not exist due to the curfew at Sydney’s main airport.
“People may come down to watch the AFL grandfinal in Melbourne and rather than having to pay for an extra nights accommodation they could choose to fly back to Sydney the same day,” he said.
Mr Hijazeen said the airport isn’t without challenges as it will take time for both the airlines to build up new routes and for customers to start using the new airport.
“Initially, there will be fewer airlines, flight frequencies and destinations available compared with the existing airport, although I expect this to change progressively as demand grows and more airlines commence operations,” he said.
Major airlines set to take flight
A host of internatinal carriers will join Qantas and Jetstar to use the new airport. Here is what is on offer to date:
Qantas: Four weekly flights to Melbourne and Brisbane from March 2027.
Jetstar: Including having the first ever flight out of the airport on Sunday, Jetstar will initially offer customers four weekly flights to the Gold Coast, three weekly flights to Brisbane, and daily services to Melbourne.
Qatar Airways: The airline will offer flights from WSI to Doha, expected to take off from December 2027.
Air New Zealand: In its initial run, it will offer three weekly flights to Auckland from 26 October.
Singapore Airlines: Daily flights to Singapore from 23 November.
Fiji Airways: The airline will offer here weekly flights to Nadi.
Vietjet Air: Starting January 10 2027 Vietjet will have two weekly flights to Ho Chi Minh although plans to increase its offering in March 2027. So far it has announced plans of three flights to Vietnam, plus four weekly flights to Bangkok via Vietjet Thailand.
Virgin Australia has not announced any flights yet but told NewsWire it is looking closely at the Western Sydney opportunity and assessing whether it would fit into a network and schedule that best serves the needs of customers.
How to get to the new airport
While the new airport promises cheaper flights and increase in competition, one of the biggest questions facing travellers is how they will reach Sydney’s newest airport.
Unlike Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport, there is no train in operation that will take customers directly to the terminals, with passengers relying on bus connections until the train line is complete.
Holafly travel expert Harry Deacon said over the long term two airports are good for competition but over the short term customers could be forced to pay more due to the cost of travelling to the airport.
“The cheapest flight isn’t always the cheapest trip,” he said.
“If you live in the inner city, a $22 fare saving disappears the moment you pay $55 for the shuttle, and you’ll spend longer on the road too.”
“But for families in Parramatta, Penrith or Liverpool, the new airport is on their doorstep, the M12 is toll-free and parking starts at $15 a day. That’s where WSI really comes into its own.”
Mr Hijazeen said while Western Sydney Airport has its disadvantages including not having an airport initially, it is unlikely to slow down demand.
“In the case of the no rail connection at the opening, yes passengers are relying on road and buses but I don’t think it will be too much of an issue,” he said.
“Passengers will usually go wherever is cheaper and that is the major lesson we learnt with Jetstar at Avalon,” he said.
Similar to the new Sydney airport, Melbourne’s second airport in Avalon is located nearly 60kms out of the city centre.
Will the new airport mean cheaper flights?
While it will take some time for the full benefits of the new airport to flow through to passengers over time it is expected to help lower flight costs Aussie travellers.
This is due to the two Sydney Airports likely to compete with each other on prices to attract airlines themselves to use the terminals.
“If the airlines are able to operate into WSI with cheaper landing fees and cheaper parking fees, this will in turn potentially mean lower fares for passengers,” Mr Hijazeen said.
“Lower fares generally mean the uptake will be much more substantial, so the airline are likely to have a higher load factor and that makes it very competitive.”