Western Sydney International Airport opening date announced (original) (raw)

An opening date for passengers at Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) has been confirmed.

After 15 years of planning, seven years of construction and a year of testing, passengers will first get the chance to fly from the airport on October 25.

Jetstar will operate the airport's first commercial passenger flight with an Airbus A320 set to jet off to the Gold Coast at 11am.

General photos of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in the suburbs of Luddenham and Badgerys Creek, Ne

The airport will open to passengers on October 25. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)

The brand new full-service airport will begin freight operations on July 26, with Qantas Freight to begin regular flights to and from WSI on July 27.

From November 1, WSI is expected to take advantage of not being subject to the 11pm–6am curfew that Sydney Airport at Mascot remains under.

The domestic and international terminal at Badgerys Creek, located 44 kilometres west of Sydney's CBD, is expected to serve up to 10 million passengers annually.

General photos of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in the suburbs of Luddenham and Badgerys Creek, Ne

The brand new airport will deliver international, domestic and freight services. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)

Airlines confirm flight routes

So far only four airlines have announced their plans to operate out of WSI — Jetstar, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand.

From launch, Jetstar will operate up to 14 flights a week between WSI and Melbourne, four weekly flights to the Gold Coast and three weekly flights to Brisbane.

Qantas will commence services from WSI on March 28, operating four flights per week to Brisbane and Melbourne.

Qantas and Jetstar aircraft at a terminal.

Jetstar and Qantas will be offering domestic flights at WSI. (ABC News: John Gunn)

Daily flights to Changi via Singapore Airlines will start on November 23 and Air New Zealand will commence flights to Auckland on October 26.

Over 50 airlines fly in and out of Sydney Airport in Mascot, the vast majority being overseas carriers.

But with Western Sydney now Australia's third-largest economy and home to half of the city's population, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "it wasn't a matter of if Sydney needed a new airport, but when".

"Fifteen years later this new airport is almost ready to open," he said.

"I want to thank the tens of thousands of people who over the years planned, built and are now testing Western Sydney International Airport and the surrounding infrastructure right here in Western Sydney."

General photos of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in the suburbs of Luddenham and Badgerys Creek, Ne

Anthony Albanese has celebrated the upcoming opening of WSI. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King described the upcoming opening as a "big moment for Sydney".

She noted the airport would not just be the centre of travel in Western Sydney but a hub for job opportunities.

The state government said the entire WSI project had created over 12,800 jobs, half of which came from the local area.

Member for Banks Zhi Soon said: "For communities right across Sydney, this is a really exciting moment."

As for how passengers will get to the airport, they may need to rely on driving and the promise of plenty of parking in the early stages of the terminal's opening.

Significant road upgrades have taken place at nearby Elizabeth Drive, Fifteenth Avenue and Mamre Road, along with the recent opening of the M12 Motorway.

A metro line was supposed to open at the same time as the airport, but NSW Premier Chris Minns said it could be delayed until 2028.

In March last year the federal government committed $1 billion towards securing a rail corridor between Sydney's south-west and WSI.

An artist's impression of the airport metro station.

There are delays in developing the rail corridor connecting to WSI. (Supplied: NSW government)

The corridor would connect Leppington, Bradfield and the Macarthur region with the new airport in what would complete a "missing link".

The final cost of the metro line project could blow out by billions of dollars above the contracted price following contractor disputes.

Earlier this month, Mr Minns said the government was committed to delivering major infrastructure projects but not at any cost.

"We've gotta hold the line," he said.

"It's taxpayer money and I'd love to have it up and running as soon as possible, but I'm not going to do that at the expense of taxpayers being taken for a ride."