Western Sydney airport offers new gateway to Singapore, but travellers face long city commute

Mr Dai Haoyu, the airline’s senior vice-president of marketing planning, said on March 25 that the new services will strengthen connectivity for its passengers.

“Western Sydney’s late-night departure capacity will enable a seamless travel journey and connections through Singapore Changi Airport, to more than 130 global destinations served by the SIA Group,” he said.

The move to open a new airport in Sydney followed concerns that Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which is permitted to handle only 80 flights an hour to limit noise for surrounding residents, will struggle to meet the growing aviation demands of the city of 5.6 million.

More than 42 million passengers – 17 million international and 25 million domestic passengers – travelled through the airport in 2025, but the federal government expects demand for aviation in Sydney to double over the next 20 years.

Western Sydney International Airport will be able to cater to 10 million passengers a year when it opens, but could eventually handle up to 82 million annually. It has a single 3.7km runway but is expected to add a second in the 2050s as demand grows.

Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, plans to use the airport and base 15 aircraft there.

The other confirmed airlines are Air New Zealand and Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar.

Freight services will also use the airport and are due to start operations in July.

Air New Zealand on April 2 became the second airline to start selling tickets for flights to and from the airport. It will operate three weekly services from Oct 26 between Sydney and Auckland – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Air New Zealand general manager of short haul and domestic Lucy Hall said in a statement: “Flying directly into Western Sydney opens up a catchment of more than 2.5 million people, including a significant New Zealand community.”

Western Sydney International Airport is in a fast-growing area of Sydney, but it is at least a 45-minute drive – with one-way tolls of about A$17 – to the city centre.

The airport will have two rail stations but construction has been delayed and they are reportedly not due to open until at least December 2027. In the meantime, other public transport options include new bus routes to surrounding bus and train hubs in suburbs such as Penrith and Liverpool, and a free 30-minute shuttle ride to the nearest train station.

Professor Merkert said he believed the airport’s lack of a curfew would give international carriers more flexibility to time their flights around connections abroad and would help freighters, which would be able to land or depart at all hours.

“At the moment, due to what is happening in the Middle East, there is a risk that (the new airport) will be loss-making due to extreme jet fuel price volatility, likely jet fuel availability issues, and a looming recession,” he said.

“Long term, though, there is enough demand in the Sydney basin… to sustain a commercially viable second airport,” he added, noting the airport’s focus on low-cost carriers, demand from visiting family and friends in South Asia, and freight operations.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King told ABC Radio on March 25 that the airport’s 24-hour operations will be welcomed by passengers who like to fly on overnight international flights.

“A lot of people do like to be able to travel, get on a plane, get to sleep, wake up and you are actually at your destination the next morning,” she said.