MOSCOW (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti): Australia’s new Western Sydney International Airport has begun handling passenger flights after nearly seven years of construction, according to broadcaster ABC, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
The first passenger flight, operated by Jetstar, departed on Sunday for the Gold Coast.
Hundreds of invited guests, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, witnessed the departure of the inaugural flight.
The new airport is located about 45 kilometres from central Sydney. Construction took nearly seven years to complete.
Unlike Sydney’s existing airport, which is subject to restrictions on night-time flights, the new facility can handle aircraft arrivals and departures around the clock.
According to the Australian government, the airport is initially designed to accommodate up to 10 million passengers a year.
Plans are in place to eventually increase its capacity to more than 80 million passengers annually.
The first international passenger flight from the new airport, bound for Auckland, New Zealand, is scheduled for Oct 26.
Regular flights to Singapore are expected to begin in November.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
