It has been announced that Singapore Airlines has become the first international airline to agree to operate flights to and from the still-under-construction Western Sydney Airport (WSI) when the new facility opens in 2026. The news represents a major scoop for the $5.3 billion project, as construction of the new airport nears completion.
The new airport serving the Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia is on track to open its doors to flights for the first time in late 2026, according to the government minister overseeing the project. With the recent completion of the roof structure of the terminal building, internal fit-out has begun which will accelerate the facility’s final preparations before opening.
From its opening, WSI will be a full-service airport capable of catering for domestic and international passengers as well as freight services. The airport will open with a single runway and facilities to handle 10 million passengers. When operational, the airport will offer round-the-clock operations with no curfew and will be able to handle up to 10 million passengers a year initially.
The airport is being developed in stages as demand grows. The airport is initially expected to handle around five million passengers a year, reaching 10 million passengers by around 2031. A second runway will be added when needed. By around 2063, the airport is expected to accommodate approximately 82 million passengers annually.
Construction work began at the site in 2016 and is described as around 85% complete and once opened, will be about twice the size of the existing Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD).
At a press conference on August 26, 2024, attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Transport Minister Catherine King, Albanese said the carrier agreeing to serve Sydney’s new airport would “open Western Sydney up to the rest of the world.”
“Singapore Airlines is recognizing the opportunity that investing here will bring them,” added Albanese. “Because by having Singapore Airlines as the first international airline to commit from overseas to use this airport, what it will do is give direct access into all those markets Singapore Airlines flies to in that wonderful hub that is there at Changi Airport.”
“It’s wonderful that Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s best, is the first international airline to choose Western Sydney Airport as one of its bases it comes to,” he concluded.
WSI has been designed and built to relieve pressure on the slot-constrained and space-constrained Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, much closer to downtown Sydney. Singapore Airlines currently operates five daily flights to SYD and will begin developing its future operations at the new airport, following the confirmation.
Meanwhile also at the press conference, King added that talks were ongoing with other carriers including Turkish Airlines and Vietnam Airlines which had expressed an interest in serving the airport in the future.
“I’ve got other countries who are talking to me all the time as part of our bilateral negotiations to keep ahead with that capacity and demand,” said King. “The Western Sydney International Airport obviously forms part of that.”
Previously, the airport operator had announced that a commercial agreement had already been reached with Qantas and its budget airline Jetstar to operate domestic flights out of the new airport. The Australian flag carrier will initially base five aircraft at the airport with Jetstar basing a further ten planes at WSI. Within its first year, the airport is expected to become Qantas Group’s sixth-biggest airport in terms of passengers carried.
