Western Sydney Airport Getting Closer
25,000 Qantas flights to fly out of Western Sydney Airport
Angira Bharadwaj | The Daily Telegraph
A ‘game-changer’ for the region, Western Sydney airport will hit the ground running, welcoming more than four million travellers when it opens in 2026.
Western Sydney’s new airport will welcome 25,000 Qantas flights per year when it’s up and running in late 2026.
The new deal will support 700 jobs and allow four million travellers to use the new airport.
More than $400m has been added to Western Sydney’s economy with construction on the region’s new airport reaching the halfway mark.
So far the project has generated 4300 jobs and more than 250 local businesses were engaged across construction, catering, security and other sectors.
Another 11,000 direct and indirect jobs are on the way in the remaining construction period with the project due to be completed in 2026.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the airport will be a “game changer” for the region.
“Western Sydney International really is a game-changer for employment in the region, opening new opportunities across a range of exciting fields. Hundreds of businesses already involved, thousands of people in work and plenty more to come in the short, medium and long term,” he said.
As the airport hit the halfway mark on construction, outgoing Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce revealed on Thursday the airline would be the first to run domestic services from the airport.
“Qantas and Jetstar aircraft are going to be rushing down this runway in just over three years,” Mr Joyce said.
“We’ve made the commitment that both carriers will operate from this airport when it opens for business – on day one.”
In the first year, 10 Jetstar and five Qantas aircraft will fly out of the airport, travelling between Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Qantas forecasts those aircraft will carry around four million passengers through the airport every year on more than 25,000 flights.
HALFWAY MARK IN CONSTRUCTION
Mr Albanese heralded the “transformational infrastructure project” as being a boon for western Sydney businesses.
“Hitting the halfway mark on construction is more than just something to mark on a calendar. It allows us to point to the benefits the project is already bringing to Western Sydney,” he said.
“Jobs, increased economic activity, and the right infrastructure allowing people in Western Sydney to work closer to home – all critical in building a better future for Western Sydney.”
“This is more than just a runway,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is about jobs and economic activity.
“Instead of looking inward to the east, it looks outward to western Sydney.”
Mr Albanese said more than $400m in contracts associated with the new airport had already been awarded to businesses in Sydney’s west.
A business park situated on the site was also forecast to be bigger than Parramatta Square.
Ms King said the airport will help meet the growing demands of Western Sydney’s booming population.
“Sydney’s new airport continues to pass milestone after milestone, with start of operations just around the corner. Construction has reached the halfway point just months after being assigned the three-letter WSI international airport code,” she said.
“WSI is a transformational infrastructure project that will generate economic activity, provide long-term employment opportunities in the Western Sydney region, and meet Sydney‘s growing aviation needs.”
— with NewsWire