The first international passenger flight landed at Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) on Monday, a day after the new airport in Australia’s largest city opened with its first domestic services.

An Air New Zealand flight from Auckland touched down on the airport’s runway just before 7:45am local time, news.com.au reported. The same aircraft was due to operate the first international departure from WSI, flying back to Auckland later on Monday.

Sydney’s existing main airport, Kingsford Smith, sits in the city’s east. WSI is in the city’s west and is Sydney’s second major airport. It is designed to operate 24 hours a day.

Some passengers on the flight took just 17 minutes to leave the aircraft and clear customs, news.com.au reported. The new terminal uses digital travel declarations in place of the traditional paper forms.

Air New Zealand announced earlier this year that it would operate the route three times a week, bringing forward its planned start from 2027. The airline is among the carriers receiving support from the A$16 million Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund, which is jointly financed by the New South Wales government and the airport.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the opening a significant day for Western Sydney. He said the airport connects the region directly to the world, bringing more jobs, visitors, and opportunities for local businesses, and it means residents no longer have to cross the city to fly overseas.

WSI chief executive Simon Hickey said the airport’s 24-hour operations give airlines more flexibility to connect to global hubs and give travellers more choice. He noted that Western Sydney is home to about 2.5 million people from more than 170 ancestries and described the region as a substantial new market for international airlines.

Hickey said the airport is starting small and will keep growing. The terminal is currently about the size of Adelaide Airport and can handle up to 10 million passengers a year, a level he said was expected to be reached by the mid-2030s. He added that demand from local residents buying tickets would drive the airport’s growth.

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said direct flights to Singapore will begin next month, with new connections across the Pacific and Southeast Asia to follow next year. Singapore Airlines has said its daily service between Changi and WSI will start on Nov 23.

Jetstar, the low-cost arm of Australian carrier Qantas, was also scheduled to run its first domestic flights into and out of WSI on Monday morning.

Source: news.com.au