Confused travellers have arrived at Western Sydney International Airport after mistaking it for destinations including Perth and Sydney’s existing airport.
The airport welcomed its first overseas arrivals on Monday, following decades of planning and construction. But the landmark opening was marked by confusion among some passengers over its location.
One man travelling from Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight said he had intended to go to Perth in Western Australia.
“I got confused, I saw Western Sydney,” he told ABC.
“I thought it was Western Australia, and I’m meant to be in Perth, but look, it’s still pretty fun, so we’ll make the best of it.
“I realised by the time I got on the flight that that’s not where it was going, but we’ll figure it out.
“I’m on holiday, so it’s not the worst thing.”
Another passenger, Julie Lundmark, said she was unsure where she had landed after arriving on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne.
“We landed here and looked out of the window and had no idea where we were,” she said.
Ms Lundmark, who is originally from Sweden, said she and her fellow travellers checked a map and realised they were “a little bit lost”. They had searched for “west airport” after seeing it on their boarding pass, but were directed to Sydney’s normal airport.
The confusion created a further problem because their car was parked at the other airport.
“We have our car parked at the other airport… We are stuck in Western Sydney,” Ms Lundmark said.
Buses and a free shuttle are operating between St Marys station and the new airport until its metro link opens. Ms Lundmark said the journey to Sydney Airport to collect the car would have taken two hours.
“We’ve made some panic calls to the city and hopefully someone will pick us up,” she said, later advising other passengers: “Double check, everyone, on your tickets before.”
Despite the mix-ups, some visitors praised the new 5.6 billion dollar terminal. Seven airlines have signed up to operate services from Western Sydney International Airport.
Singapore Airlines is scheduled to begin daily flights to Singapore on November 23, with services to Nadi, Ho Chi Minh City and Doha due to follow at later dates.
