Western Sydney International Airport will open to commercial passengers on Sunday, marking the arrival of Australia’s newest airport after almost seven years of construction and decades of planning.
The first travellers will fly to the Gold Coast from the Nancy-Bird Walton terminal at Badgerys Creek, which has been built to serve both passengers and cargo around the clock.
Simon Hickey, chief executive of WSA Co Limited, the federal government-owned company responsible for developing and operating the airport, said the project would reshape western Sydney.
“WSI is the most transformational piece of infrastructure our nation has seen since the Sydney Harbour Bridge,” he said.
“It brings the world closer to western Sydney and opportunity closer to home, creating new meaningful jobs for generations to come.”
The airport’s construction began in 2018, after the Abbott government approved the Badgerys Creek site in 2014. More than 25 million cubic metres of soil and rock were moved to prepare the site, with the project completed on time and on budget in 2025.
The terminal is named after pioneering Australian aviator Nancy-Bird Walton and was designed through a selective competition. The multi-billion-dollar facility has been built in stages, allowing for expansion to four terminals and a second runway.
Western Sydney airport expected to drive investment
Local leaders and businesses are hoping the airport will turn western Sydney into a major economic centre, although they say its impact will depend on further investment in transport and other infrastructure.
Liverpool City Council Mayor Ned Mannoun said greater Sydney’s future was “only limited by imagination”. Penrith Mayor Todd Carney said state and federal governments would need to provide “turbo-charged investment” in roads, amenities and critical infrastructure.
“There’s so much more potential in it if we actually just deliver on the underlying infrastructure that’s actually required,” Mr Carney said.
Business Western Sydney leader David Borger, a former MP, said growth would depend on connectivity. Ross Grove, the Property Council’s Western Sydney regional director, said the airport’s economic benefits would require continued investment.
“As that first plane takes off today, our focus should turn to what takes off next: the jobs, investment and development this airport was built to unlock,” Mr Grove said.
Seven passenger carriers have committed to operating from the airport, with Jetstar set to be the first airline to carry passengers to and from Badgerys Creek.
Bus services are transporting travellers between the airport and St Marys, while a rapid-transit line on the route is expected to open in 2027.
Airport leaders hope the site will eventually handle more than 80 million passengers a year by the 2060s. Mr Hickey said it was designed to expand alongside Sydney and serve the city for the next century.
Paul Fletcher, who was federal infrastructure minister for much of the 2010s, said Australians would have to watch the airport’s master plan develop over time.
“This is a 10, 20, 30, 50, 100-year project,” he said.
