Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport received its first international passengers on 26 October on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland, a day after its official opening.
Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, known as WSI, welcomed its first international passengers on 26 October, when Air New Zealand flight NZ165 landed from Auckland, Euronews Travel reports. The arrival came a day after the airport officially opened and Jetstar began its first domestic passenger services. Australia's first major new international airport in about 50 years sits at Badgerys Creek, roughly 60 kilometres west of central Sydney, and is named after Nancy Bird Walton, the country's first female commercial pilot.
Unlike Sydney's existing Kingsford Smith Airport, which restricts take-offs and landings between 11 pm and 6 am, WSI operates around the clock, giving airlines more scheduling flexibility. It starts with capacity for 10 million passengers a year and could eventually handle more than 80 million, according to the airport. Domestic and international gates share a single terminal with automated check-in and baggage technology, and access is by bus, taxi, rideshare, rental car or the toll-free M12 motorway. WSI chief executive Simon Hickey called it the most transformational piece of infrastructure Australia has seen since the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the opening as a milestone decades in the making.
More services are scheduled. Singapore Airlines is due to start daily Singapore flights on 23 November, Vietjet will fly to Ho Chi Minh City from January 2027, and Fiji Airways will serve Nadi from March, with Qatar Airways linking Doha from 15 December 2027. Jetstar already flies to the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Brisbane, and Qantas plans four weekly QantasLink flights on each of its Melbourne and Brisbane routes from 28 March 2027. The airport says passengers will have access to more than 250 destinations a little over a year from now, though travellers should check airline timetables, as these plans come from the operators and airport and may change.
