Qantas and Jetstar Confirm Domestic Flights from New Western Sydney International Airport

Dark/Light Mode (12/06/23)  Qantas has confirmed that both it and Jetstar will operate domestic flights from the new Western Sydney International Airport when it opens in late 2026.

The Qantas Group plans to operate up to 15 narrowbody aircraft – ten Jetstar and five Qantas – from Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) within the first year, flying domestic routes such as Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The aircraft are expected to carry around four million passengers through WSI per annum on more than 25,000 flights.

Around 700 operational jobs are also expected to be needed, with local recruitment to take place in the lead up to the first flights.

Now more than 50 per cent complete, the airport is on track to become the sixth biggest airport for the Qantas Group within its first year of operation.

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI)

“This is a substantial Qantas and Jetstar presence at Sydney’s new major airport,” said Simon Hickey, WSI CEO. “We’re enabling WSI with the latest technology, which will deliver an easier and more seamless travel experience. Qantas and Jetstar passengers are going to love flying from WSI and we can’t wait to welcome them. WSI is being designed for growth and will eventually become Sydney’s biggest airport. We have a roadmap to grow to 82 million annual passengers, around the size of the world’s major airports, such as Dubai and London Heathrow.”

With the criticality of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to the future of the aviation industry, the airport and airlines have agreed to work together to develop projects in Western Sydney that can supply SAF to WSI which can be used to power flights. SAF helps to lower emissions by up to 80 per cent on a lifecycle basis compared to fossil fuels and is key to decarbonising the aviation industry.

While WSI will be an airport serving all of Sydney, it is set to strongly benefit communities across Western Sydney. To date the project has spent more than $400 million with businesses based in the region. Half of the workforce bringing the airport to life are Western Sydney locals and almost a third are learning on the job, through apprenticeships, traineeships and other vocational training.

“In just over three years Qantas and Jetstar will take off from Western Sydney connecting one of Australia’s fastest growing areas through direct flights across the country,” said Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO. “As we take delivery of more aircraft and expand our fleet, we see Western Sydney Airport as a significant growth opportunity for the group, which will complement our existing operations in the Sydney basin and nationally. Western Sydney International Airport has some big strategic advantages with no curfew, technology that allows aircraft to be turned around quickly and a next-generation baggage system. Our data shows that more than two million trips per year are taken by people who live in the Western Sydney catchment so we know there will be demand for these flights from day one. Jetstar has a long history of stimulating demand when it starts flying to new destinations through low fares, so expect to see some great value travel options.”

Discussions between the Qantas Group and the airport about international and freight operations at WSI are ongoing.

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