Sydney's new airport takes off: the west celebrates – and some travellers end up in the wrong place
After decades of planning, Western Sydney International handled its first passenger flights over the weekend. Early travellers praised the short trips and lower costs, but a few only realised on board that they were not heading to the airport they knew.
What happened
On Sunday, 25 October, a sold-out Jetstar service to the Gold Coast became the first commercial flight out of the new Western Sydney International (WSI) airport. The project cost around 5.6 billion Australian dollars. The airport sits about 45 kilometres west of the city centre and, unlike the existing Mascot airport with its night curfew, may operate around the clock. On Monday morning an Air New Zealand jet from Auckland became the first international scheduled arrival; the airline plans to fly the route three times a week for now.
Seven airlines have signed up so far. Flights to Singapore are due soon, followed later by Nadi, Ho Chi Minh City and Doha. The operator promises more than 250 destinations within just over a year. The terminal is initially designed for about 10 million passengers a year; with additional terminals and a second runway, capacity is meant to reach up to 82 million by the 2060s. Around 10,000 people worked on construction, roughly half of them from Western Sydney.
One gap remains: the metro line from St Marys is not due to open until late next year. Until then, buses and a free shuttle run to the terminal, while drivers use the new toll-free M12 motorway.
The mood on the ground
According to ABC, passengers and staff treated the opening as a day of celebration. The pilot of the first departure, who grew up in the western suburb of Blacktown, said the moment still felt unreal. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it an extraordinary day, and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King paid tribute to the persistence the decades-long project required. The captain of the first Air New Zealand flight described real excitement on board.
Many first-time users did the maths on what they saved. One traveller told ABC of a drive of just over 20 minutes and 24 dollars for a full day of parking, compared with almost an hour and about 15 dollars in tolls to reach Mascot. A couple paid 50 dollars for a taxi instead of 110, though they found the signage lacking. A traveller from Baulkham Hills praised the calm atmosphere and ample parking and plans to return.
Not everyone was in the right place. A Swedish tourist who had departed from Mascot unexpectedly landed in the west on her return from Melbourne, with her car about two hours away at the other airport. A holidaymaker from Auckland had meant to fly to Perth and only noticed his mistake once on board. ABC describes those affected as bemused rather than angry; the New Zealander took it with good humour.
The joy is not universal: according to RNZ, residents in the surrounding area strongly oppose operating the airport without a night-time curfew.
Voices from the media
Sources
This article was rewritten from local-language sources. Every statement about the mood is based on the linked reports.