Western Sydney airport launches international flights

Western Sydney International Airport launched international passenger flights on Monday when an Air New Zealand service from Auckland landed and then departed from the new airport.

The flight began a three-times-a-week service to Sydney's western suburbs. The airport opened domestic flights on Sunday and began freight operations in July.

The single-runway airport is Australia's first new major aviation hub in more than five decades. It was built at a cost of Aus$5.3 billion, or US$3.7 billion, excluding surrounding transport works.

The airport offers the first alternative to Sydney's main airport, Kingsford Smith, after more than four decades of planning. Kingsford Smith handled more than 42 million passengers last year and has a night curfew on passenger aircraft. Western Sydney International Airport has no such restriction.

Airport chief executive Simon Hickey said 24-hour operations would give airlines more flexibility and travellers more choice. Air New Zealand chief operations officer Kate Boyer said Western Sydney was home to more than 2.5 million people and would be another gateway for visitors to New Zealand.

Jetstar is the main domestic carrier at the new airport, with flights to the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Brisbane. The airport says more international carriers are due to arrive, including Vietjet Air in January 2027, Fiji Airways in March 2027 and Qatar Airways in December 2027.

The airport is reachable by road, but a direct rail link is not expected until at least December 2027. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the weekend that the airport marked a "wonderful new chapter" for Australia and would bring jobs and investment to western Sydney.