Sydney's new Western airport sends off first international flight to Auckland

A day after domestic flights began, Western Sydney International Airport handled its first international flight on October 26: an Air New Zealand aircraft arrived from Auckland in the morning and soon afterwards departed back to Auckland, opening the new airport's first international route.

The first international service

The Auckland route runs three return flights a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. An on-board report put 166 passengers on the first Auckland-bound aircraft, an Airbus A320, which departed in the morning and arrived in Auckland in the afternoon. Air New Zealand chief operations officer Kate Boyer said: "It's not every day you get to be part of opening a brand-new international airport," noting that Western Sydney is home to more than 2.5 million people.

More than an extra airport

The airport is Australia's first new major aviation hub in more than five decades, after more than four decades of planning. Domestic passenger flights began on October 25, when Jetstar flight JQ362 departed at 11:00 a.m. local time for the Gold Coast, while freight operations started in July. Unlike Sydney's main Kingsford Smith Airport, the new airport operates around the clock with no curfew; Kingsford Smith bars passenger aircraft at night between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and caps movements at 80 takeoffs and landings per hour.

International routes to follow

A $16 million "Take-Off Fund" set up by the New South Wales Government and the airport has secured commitments from several international carriers: Singapore Airlines will fly daily non-stop to Singapore with Airbus A350 aircraft from November 23, 2026; VietJet plans Ho Chi Minh City services in January 2027 and Nadi, Fiji, in March 2027; Qatar Airways plans Doha services in December 2027. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the opening a milestone for the region, saying people in Western Sydney can now fly overseas without travelling across the city first.