History made as first passengers take off from Australia’s newest airport
Australia’s newest airport has welcomed passengers for the first time on its inaugural flight operated by Jetstar.
Check-in opened at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) at 8am on Sunday for domestic service JQ362, which departed at 11am, before officially touching down on the Gold Coast a little after 2pm AEDT.
Check opened at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) at 8am for domestic service JQ362. Nine
The A320 was flown by a pilot from Blacktown from Sydney Airport to Western Sydney Airport ahead of for the historic departure.
It then took off on-time, quickly becoming the most tracked flight in the world, according to Flight Radar 24.
Locals in Western Sydney looked to the skies to see the historic plane pass overhead.
Australia’s newest airport has welcomed passengers for the first time on its inaugural flight operated by Jetstar. Jetstar
Millions of Sydneysiders will now have an international airport within easy reach.
“It was only 20 minutes from Penrith,” one family getting on the flight told Today.
"We like to travel a lot, only being 20 minutes away is going to be great."
The passenger flight departs the new Western Sydney Airport FlightRadar24
The Jetstar plane lands at the new Sydney airport. WSI
A domestic service from Melbourne touched down later in the afternoon, scheduled to arrive at 3pm.
JQ375 will then depart again at 6pm.
A Qantas plane was also seen landing at the airport, though no passenger flights are scheduled today.
WSI CEO Simon Hickey was joined by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King, and NSW Premier Chris Minns to open the airport, known as WSI.
Crew gear up for the historic Jetstar take off at Western Sydney International. Jetstar
Will ‘be the size of Heathrow’
Hickey said Western Sydney International’s launch and first passenger flight is an historic moment for Western Sydney.
“For decades, countless people have advocated for an airport in Western Sydney and the social and economic benefits it would provide,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese takes part in a smoking ceremony to open the new Western Sydney International Airport. WSI
“Today, that ambition will become a reality as we mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our city’s cultural heartland.
“WSI is the most transformational piece of infrastructure our nation has seen since the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
Simon told Today it was a "new era in aviation."
"It absolutely feels fantastic," he said.
The Jetstar plane ready for passengers at the new Sydney airport. WSI
He said over 10,000 people worked on the airport.
However, so far, there are only few flights a week.
Simon said within a year there will be over 250 destinations on offer.
He said they were “starting small, but we will continue to grow” and is confident airlines would see the demand.
“We’ve actually designed it so we can be the size of Heathrow Airport, but that’s in the decades ahead,” he said.
The first flight sold out in an hour.
Australia’s new airport, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton), is welcoming passengers after 80 years of planning. WSI
Domestic service JQ362 headed for the Gold Coast from Western Sydney Airport. Jetstar
“When they get here we’ve got four cafés lots of travel essentials, retail. It’s a beautiful and fantastic experience, and we’re going to keep on adding to it.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “for the first time in more than 50 years, Australia is opening a major new airport.
“It’s a milestone that has been decades in the making and one that belongs to the people of Western Sydney.”
Passengers and crew gear up for the historic Jetstar take off at WSI Airport. Jetstar
Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said it was an “historic day for aviation in Australia”.
“From today, for three million people who live in and around Western Sydney, low fares start a lot closer to home.”
More flights on the horizon
Unlike Sydney Airport, WSI will operate 24 hours a day, with no curfew, allowing flights to arrive and depart at any time.
Air New Zealand will fly the first international flight to Auckland, scheduled to depart on Monday.
Singapore Airlines, Vietjet Air, Fiji Airways, Qatar Airways, and Qantas will also fly from the new airport.
A direct service to Singapore will take off on November 23, with more new routes launching next year.
Western Sydney Airport is now open to passengers. WSI
Domestic and International under one roof
One of the biggest things passengers will notice is that they will no longer need 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, like at security screening and baggage claim, can be changed from international or domestic operations depending on the capacity required.
The new Western Sydney Airport is known as WSI. WSI
Decades in the making
Construction of the Western Sydney Airport began in 2014 and the very first flight landed in October last year.
The Boeing 737 RFS air tanker took off from Richmond RAAF Base and made the short flight to the airport, as part of a training exercise.
Cargo operations officially took off in July. A Qantas Airbus A321 successfully landed at WSI at 2pm on July 13.
The new state-of-the-art, 24-hour Cargo Precinct is expected to handle more than 850 tonnes of freight each week.
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.
