Western Sydney Airport Opens as First Flight Leaves for the Gold Coast

Western Sydney International Airport opened to passengers on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when Jetstar flight JQ362 left for the Gold Coast at 11:22 a.m. The departure started passenger service at Australia's first major new airport in more than 50 years, on a site at Badgerys Creek in Sydney's west that governments first bought in the 1980s.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opened the airport and unveiled a commemorative plaque at the terminal. "For the first time in more than 50 years, Australia is opening a major new airport. It's a milestone that has been decades in the making," Albanese said in a statement reported by Reuters. He added: "I'm very proud to officially open it."

The first flight

JQ362, an Airbus A320, was the first outbound flight from the new airport, and its seats sold out fast. AAP reported that the inaugural flight sold out in 45 minutes. In the cockpit was First Officer Aglaya Papadokokolakis, 25, from Blacktown in western Sydney, who said she was honoured to fly the first commercial plane out of an airport in her own backyard. Gold Coast resident Mark Ignativ, 54, was the first passenger to check in in person at the terminal, and told reporters it is rarer than a solar eclipse to be on the first flight from a new airport.

Jetstar ran a second service from the airport later on Sunday, flight JQ375 to Melbourne. The airport said Air New Zealand, flying from Auckland, will be its first international carrier on Monday, October 26, 2026. Qantas is scheduled to start flights from the airport on March 28, 2027, to Melbourne and Brisbane, under its QantasLink brand at first, according to reporting from the opening day.

A 24 hour airport for Sydney's west

The airport, also called Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, cost A$5.6 billion, about $3.94 billion, Reuters reported. It sits on a 1,780 hectare site, was completed in July 2025 after a seven year build, and began cargo flights in July 2026. It can handle up to 10 million passengers a year at the start, with room to grow toward more than 80 million passenger movements a year over time.

Its biggest practical difference from Sydney's existing airport is the clock. Western Sydney International operates 24 hours a day, with no overnight curfew. Sydney Airport, closer to the city centre, cannot host takeoffs and landings between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. That limit has shaped airline schedules in Sydney for decades, while rival cities such as Melbourne run without it. AAP noted the new airport is the first major greenfield airport to open in Australia since Melbourne's Tullamarine in 1970.

Airport chairman Paul O'Sullivan said the opening was a nation building promise delivered safely, on time and on budget. Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said the airport gives western Sydney residents a major step up in access and choice. Former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns were among the guests at the opening.