Western Sydney International Airport opens in October; first 2 airlines confirmed

Australia has a new airport. It is Western Sydney International (IATA code: WSI). Construction began in 2018, with the first passenger-carrying scheduled flight due to take place in October 2026. When writing, two airlines have confirmed scheduled service: Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.

WSI is located 44 kilometres from Sydney’s Central Business District. Unlike Sydney Kingsford Smith, which is heavily slot-constrained and has a curfew, WSI is due to operate 24/7 and have curfew-free operations. It will, therefore, play a pivotal role in Sydney’s overall aviation development.

Air New Zealand is due to be the first airline (for now)

On 26 October 26, Air NZ is due to touch down from Auckland (3-weekly). When writing, it is due to be WSI’s first operator. It is unclear whether the Star Alliance member will serve WSI from NZ’s other international airports.

Flights will depart from Auckland at 06:05 and arrive in WSI at 07:50 local returning. They’ll leave at 09:00 and get back at 14:15. It would be reasonable to assume that this schedule is timed for connectivity to/from North America. But the 06:05 departure is a bit too early for most routes, while the 14:15 departure requires a five-to-six-hour layover, which is not especially competitive.

As Air NZ’s first domestic flight does not arrive in Auckland until after the 06:05 service has left, passengers will not be able to connect to/from broader NZ. Instead, the route will rely on P2P traffic, which is not problematic at all. After all, 800,000 two-way P2P passengers flew between Sydney and Auckland last year.

This new route means that Air NZ will now serve ten airports in Australia: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns (seasonal), Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sunshine Coast (seasonal), SYD and WSI. Some 191-weekly one-way flights will be available in December, which will be the highest number ever in that month.

Singapore Airlines is scheduled to arrive in November

While Singapore Airlines was the first carrier to announce service to WSI, Air NZ will launch operations first. Singapore Airlines will debut on 23 November 2026, with a daily service from Changi.

According to Cirium schedule information, A350-900-operated flights will arrive in WSI at 22:20 and depart at 23:55. Due to Sydney’s curfew, Singapore Airlines will finally have a late evening departure from the Australian city.

This new route means that the airline will have a 5-daily passenger flights to/from Sydney again, which was last available in early 2025. Flights will arrive at 07:40, 11:50, 17:55, 21:15 and 22:20. They’ll depart at 08:05, 12:15, 16:10, 19:10 and 23:55. The 08:05 departure will use the aircraft that arrived at 21:15.

The route to WSI means that Singapore Airlines will serve eight airports in Australia: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, SYD and WSI. The Australian capital, Canberra, was part of its network until 2020. WSI contributes to Singapore Airlines having a record 152-weekly flights to Australia in December.