Australia's newest airport in Western Sydney opens for business

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Jay (0:37)

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Caroline Riches (0:40)

As Jetstar flight JQ362 took off from Western Sydney International Airport's brand new runway for the Gold Coast, cheers erupted across the terminal.

SPEAKER_5 (0:51)

And there it is. The first passenger flight has taken off from Western Sydney International Airport.

Caroline Riches (1:01)

Workers filmed the historic departure from the tarmac, while the engineers, planners, builders and politicians who helped deliver the project watched their vision finally take flight. Among them was the family of Nancy Bird Walton, the pioneering aviator who broke barriers for Australian women in aviation and whose name the airport proudly carries.

The Stephen Lennon from Western Sydney, who boarded the inaugural Jetstar flight, the biggest benefit for him was convenience.

Stephen Lennon (1:30)

So excited. I can't wait to get on the flight, to be honest. I haven't seen my sister in a couple of years. So I guess having an airport so close to home means I get to visit her a lot more often. So to get to Kingsford, it would take us maybe an hour and that's without traffic. So it only took us 20 minutes to get here this morning. So it's great.

Caroline Riches (1:48)

Others simply came to enjoy the celebratory atmosphere. Jay, who's lived in Western Sydney for 20 years, says her family had been eagerly awaiting the opening.

Jay (1:57)

I can't believe how many people have come out today. It's awesome to see everyone here excited about the airport opening.

Caroline Riches (2:04)

It is Australia's first newly built airport in more than half a century and has taken 80 years of planning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has been a big supporter of the project.

Anthony Albanese (2:17)

This is an absolutely extraordinary day and I'm so delighted to be here. A great day for Western Sydney, a great day for Sydney, a great day for New South Wales and a great day for the nation.

Caroline Riches (2:31)

He says the benefits are national but also global.

Anthony Albanese (2:34)

This is not Sydney's second airport.

This is not even Western Sydney's best airport, not Newport. This is Australia's best airport, without question in the way that it will function going forward. One that will better connect Australians with each other and better connect Australia with the world.

Caroline Riches (2:57)

The 24-7 airport aims to initially serve up to 10 million passengers annually, with a plan to scale that up in the 2060s to 82 million passengers every year. Jetstar will be operating regular flights to destinations including Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

Singapore Airlines will commence services in November with Qantas, Qatar Airways, Fiji Airways and Vietjet to follow next year. The airport increases Sydney's air cargo capacity by a third, which Western Sydney International Airport CEO Simon Hickey says gives travellers more options and helps drive competition.

Simon Hickey (3:35)

An excellent line up of world-class airlines that will give passengers more choice and flexibility on when, where and how they choose to fly.

In fact, in just over a year, WSI's passengers will be able to access more than 250 destinations around the globe. A strong start indeed for Australia's first major greenfield airport in more than 50 years.

Caroline Riches (4:00)

For those in the business community, it's about taking advantage of a facility that can handle freight as well as passengers.

Anis Chami is the CEO and co-founder of Vitex Pharmaceuticals. He says having a 24-hour airport on the company's doorstep will be transformative.

Anis Chami (4:18)

Vitex manufactures a lot of medicines. Australian made medicines and we're big exporters.

More than 70% of our product is exported. So to have an airport in our backyard that has no curfew and allows us to ship quite expediently all our products across the world is extremely beneficial.

Caroline Riches (4:38)

The airport's construction has been a boon for Western Sydney, one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in the country. More than 10,000 people helped build the new airport. And around 8,500 jobs are expected to support its day-to-day operations. However, the airport sits 45 kilometres west of Sydney's CBD and is not yet connected to the rail network, with passengers currently relying on buses from nearby stations. The Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport Line is running behind schedule and didn't make the airport's opening. It is now expected to open in late 2027 or early 2028