First international flight lands at WSI
Updated . First published at
Air New Zealand has claimed the honour of becoming the first airline to land an international flight at Australia’s newest airport.
Flight NZ165 from Auckland touched down at Western Sydney International Airport slightly ahead of schedule just after 7:30am, marking the official start of international flights.
Air New Zealand is the first international airline to fly from WSI. nine.com.au
The first passengers emerged from border security and baggage claim in just over 17 minutes. WSI is the first airport in Australia to rely solely on the new digital declaration forms for arriving travellers.
“I grew up in Penrith so it’s great to see the airport open,” one passenger told Today. “It was very fast [to get through] which is great.”
Air New Zealand Chief Operations Officer, Kate Boyer, said being the first international airline to touch down at WSI is a rare moment in aviation history and an exciting opportunity for the airline and New Zealand.
“It’s not every day you get to be part of opening a brand-new international airport, let alone be the first international passenger airline to land there. We’re excited to be part of this historic milestone,” Kate said.
The opening celebrations kicked off on Sunday when Jetstar became the first airline to fly from WSI.
Domestic service JQ362 departed at 11am, before touching down on the Gold Coast a little after 2pm AEDT.
“For decades, countless people have advocated for an airport in Western Sydney and the social and economic benefits it would provide,” WSI chief executive Simon Hickey said.
“WSI is the most transformational piece of infrastructure our nation has seen since the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
Up, up and away from Western Sydney International on the airport’s first day Getty Images
One of the first things passengers will notice at the new airport is no longer needing to look for their airline or flight number to work out where to go to check in. And it doesn’t matter whether they are flying within Australia or internationally.
At WSI, travellers can go to any one of the 40 self check-in kiosks and 34 bag drops available as they all work for any airline. This should help reduce any queuing required.
The airport has also been designed in a way that certain areas, such as at security screening and baggage claim, can be changed from international or domestic operations depending on the capacity required.
Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is in the west of the city, close to Penrith. WSI
Construction of the Western Sydney Airport began in 2014 and the very first flight landed in October last year.
Cargo operations officially took off in July. A Qantas Airbus A321 successfully landed at WSI at 2pm on July 13.
WSI will be capable of catering for up to 10 million passengers a year and aims to become Australia’s primary gateway with capacity to handle 82 million annual passengers.
