Date For Western Sydney International Airport Opening To Passengers Announced

The opening date for passengers of Western Sydney International Airport has been confirmed as 25 October 2026.

Aiming to serve up to 10 million passengers annually, the long-awaited announcement comes after 15 years of planning, seven years of construction and a year of testing.

Western Sydney International Airport will not be subjected to the 11pm-6am curfew that Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is under the Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995, meaning it will host night flights from November 1st.

With Western Sydney now being Australia’s third-largest economy and home to half of the city’s population, Prime Minister Albanese said, “it wasn’t a matter of if Sydney needed a new airport, but when.”

“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.”

Western Sydney International arrives this year as the centrepiece of the Albanese Labor Government’s almost $18 billion investment into Western Sydney, which also includes the Sydney Metro Airport rail connection, and road upgrades in the area.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and local Government, Catherine King appreciates the importance of a second airport for an expanding Sydney, saying:

“This is a big moment for Sydney, with passenger flights at Western Sydney Airport commencing in just 137 days. […] With the new Nancy-Bird Walton Terminal, and brand-new cargo and business precincts readying to open, this won’t just be the centre of travel in Western Sydney, but also jobs.”

Airlines and Flight Routes Confirmed

At time of announcement, JetStar, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand are the only airlines to announce they will be operating out of WSI.

JetStar will operate the airport’s first ever commercial passenger flight with an Airbus A320 set to take off from Sydney to the Gold Coast on the day of opening.

Freight flights from both JetStar and Qantas will begin operation earlier on Sunday 26 July.

JetStar will also have up to 14 flights a week to Melbourne, four flights weekly to the Gold Coast and three weekly flights to Brisbane.
Qantas will begin normal operations at WSI on 28 March 2027 with four flights per week to both Melbourne and Brisbane.

Following Domestic flights, Air New Zealand will begin flights to Auckland from 26 October, and shortly after, daily flights from WSI to Changi through Singapore Airlines will commence on 23 November 2026.

Troubles for the Airport Metro Line

The upcoming opening of WSI is out of sync with the Sydney Metro Airport rail, which was supposed to open concurrently with the international airport.

The multibillion-dollar project runs the risk of being delayed until 2028 due to design change disputes between the NSW Government and private contractors, as well as other infrastructure and planning issues.

When asked if the project could be delayed until 2028, NSW Premier Chris Minns replied: “Possibly, I don’t have a date at the moment.”

The NSW government has also been reluctant to pay to get the project on track, as Premier Minns believes this project should not come at the expense of more taxpayer money.

“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.”