First international flight takes off from new Sydney airport

On Monday, the first international flight departed from the brand-new Western Sydney International Airport, marking a significant milestone for the fast-growing western suburbs of Sydney. After four decades of planning, the multi-billion-dollar airport offers an alternative to the city's long-standing main airport, which has been operational for over a century. Air New Zealand, operating the inaugural service, launched a three-flights-a-week schedule to serve the largely working-class western suburbs.

Kate Boyer, Air New Zealand's chief operations officer, expressed her excitement about being part of the airport's opening. She emphasized that Western Sydney, home to more than 2.5 million people, serves as an additional gateway for Australian visitors to explore the country's offerings. The new single-runway airport, Australia's first major aviation hub in over five decades, began domestic flights on Sunday and introduced freight operations in July.

Sydney's primary airport, Kingsford Smith, remains the busiest in Australia, handling over 42 million passengers last year. Located just nine kilometers from the city center in Botany Bay, the new airport operates without the curfew restrictions that affect its city-center counterpart. Western Sydney International Airport provides airlines with greater flexibility for global connections and travellers with more choices to reach destinations worldwide.

Qantas' budget carrier Jetstar currently dominates domestic flights, with routes to the Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Several international carriers are slated to join the airport in the coming years, including Qatar Airways in December 2027, Fiji Airways in March 2027, and Vietjet Air in January 2027. The airport, constructed at a cost of A$5.3 billion ($3.7 billion), excluding surrounding transport infrastructure, is accessible by road but is not expected to have a direct rail link until at least December 2027.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the new airport as a "wonderful new chapter" for Australia, promising economic growth and job opportunities in western Sydney, an area often overshadowed by the city's iconic harbor and central business district.