Sydney’s Second Airport Opens Tomorrow, and It Never Closes

Western Sydney International Airport opens to passengers on Sunday, October 25. The first scheduled departure is Jetstar flight JQ362 to the Gold Coast at 11am. Jetstar will also fly to Melbourne and Brisbane from day one, making this the first time Sydney’s long-delayed second airport carries regular passenger traffic.

The international side starts almost immediately. Air New Zealand begins three weekly flights from Auckland on October 26, and Singapore Airlines plans a daily Singapore service from November 23, subject to approvals. Qantas is due to follow with Melbourne and Brisbane flights from March 28, 2027. Those later dates matter for anyone booking: the schedule is still thin at launch.

The airport’s headline feature is that it was designed for round-the-clock operations, with no night curfew, unlike Sydney’s older airport. The Nancy-Bird Walton Terminal puts domestic and international gates under one roof, with an initial capacity of up to 10 million passengers a year, self check-in and self bag-drop. Individual airline schedules, check-in desks and transport still follow their own hours.

Getting there is a road-first affair for now. The toll-free M12 Motorway connects to the M7, buses serve Penrith, Leppington, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Mount Druitt every 30 minutes, and a free shuttle runs from St Marys station once passenger flights begin. The Sydney Metro airport line is not scheduled until 2027, so travelers should allow extra time and check connections before leaving.

Sources: Wego, Prime Minister of Australia