SYDNEY: Singapore Airlines (SIA) became the first airline to start selling tickets for flights into and out of Western Sydney International Airport, but passengers using the upcoming airport will face limited connectivity to the city centre for now.
The airline started selling tickets on March 25 for a daily service between the airport and Changi Airport, starting with the first flight from Singapore on Nov 23.
The A$5.3 billion (S$4.7 billion) airport – which will be Sydney’s second international airport – is due to open in late October.
SIA flights will take advantage of the 24-hour operations at the new airport, with flights leaving for Singapore at 11.55pm. The Singapore-Sydney flight departs at 11.30am. The introductory fares for return flights from Singapore start at $806.
The city’s existing international airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, has a curfew between 11pm and 6am to reduce noise for surrounding neighbourhoods. Flights cannot take off or land during this time, except for emergencies.
Aviation expert Rico Merkert, a professor at the University of Sydney, told The Straits Times that SIA flights from the new airport could appeal to the large South Asian population living in western Sydney that could use Singapore for transit.
He said the new airport, which is 44km from the Central Business District (CBD), is expected to largely cater to low-cost carriers, while Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which is about 8km from the CBD, is likely to appeal to premium carriers and business passengers.
“I was surprised to see Singapore Airlines going in first,” he said. “I thought of Singapore Airlines as a full-service carrier that would like to stick to Kingsford Smith, which is bringing people into the CBD, including business travellers. It may see potential in connecting people to Singapore and to other markets in Asia such as India.”
SIA said on its website that the new flights, which add to its four daily flights to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, will offer passengers “more choices and flexibility”. The airline will operate Airbus A350-900 aircraft out of Western Sydney International Airport.
Dai Haoyu, the airline’s senior vice-president of marketing planning, said on March 25 that the new services will strengthen connectivity for its passengers.
“Western Sydney’s late-night departure capacity will enable a seamless travel journey and connections through Singapore Changi Airport, to more than 130 global destinations served by the SIA Group,” he said.
The move to open a new airport in Sydney followed concerns that Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which is permitted to handle only 80 flights an hour to limit noise for surrounding residents, will struggle to meet the growing aviation demands of the city of 5.6 million.
More than 42 million passengers – 17 million international and 25 million domestic passengers – travelled through the airport in 2025, but the federal government expects demand for aviation in Sydney to double over the next 20 years.
Western Sydney International Airport will be able to cater to 10 million passengers a year when it opens, but could eventually handle up to 82 million annually. It has a single 3.7km runway but is expected to add a second in the 2050s as demand grows.
Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, plans to use the airport and base 15 aircraft there.
The other confirmed airlines are Air New Zealand and Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar.
Freight services will also use the airport and are due to start operations in July.
Air New Zealand on April 2 became the second airline to start selling tickets for flights to and from the airport. It will operate three weekly services from Oct 26 between Sydney and Auckland – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Air New Zealand general manager of short haul and domestic Lucy Hall said in a statement: “Flying directly into Western Sydney opens up a catchment of more than 2.5 million people, including a significant New Zealand community.”
Western Sydney International Airport is in a fast-growing area of Sydney, but it is at least a 45-minute drive – with one-way tolls of about A$17 – to the city centre.
The airport will have two rail stations but construction has been delayed and they are reportedly not due to open until at least December 2027. In the meantime, other public transport options include new bus routes to surrounding bus and train hubs in suburbs such as Penrith and Liverpool, and a free 30-minute shuttle ride to the nearest train station.
Professor Merkert said he believed the airport’s lack of a curfew would give international carriers more flexibility to time their flights around connections abroad and would help freighters, which would be able to land or depart at all hours.
“At the moment, due to what is happening in the Middle East, there is a risk that (the new airport) will be loss-making due to extreme jet fuel price volatility, likely jet fuel availability issues, and a looming recession,” he said.
“Long term, though, there is enough demand in the Sydney basin... to sustain a commercially viable second airport,” he added, noting the airport’s focus on low-cost carriers, demand from visiting family and friends in South Asia, and freight operations.
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King told ABC Radio on March 25 that the airport’s 24-hour operations will be welcomed by passengers who like to fly on overnight international flights.
“A lot of people do like to be able to travel, get on a plane, get to sleep, wake up and you are actually at your destination the next morning,” she said. - The Straits Times/ANN
