SYDNEY — Sydney's new A$5.6 billion ($3.94 billion) airport opened to passengers on Sunday after more than a decade of planning, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said was a milestone for the country's most populous city, Reuters reported. Yaani: A$5.6 billion is about 560 crore Australian dollars, and its US$3.94 billion value is about 394 crore US dollars. “For the first time in more than 50 years, Australia is opening a major new airport. It's a milestone that has been decades in the making,” Albanese said in a statement. “I'm very proud to officially open it.”
Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026 (Sydney)
The new Western Sydney International Airport is at Badgerys Creek, about 60 km (37.3 miles) west of central Sydney, and will operate 24 hours a day, giving airlines access to a fast-growing and ethnically diverse population centre, Reuters said. That is a sharp contrast with Sydney's existing airport, closer to the central business district, which can host takeoffs and landings only until 11 p.m. and after 6 a.m., limiting scheduling options compared with other major Australian cities such as Melbourne.
Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026 (Sydney)
The first departure was Jetstar flight JQ362 to the Gold Coast on Sunday, the airport said, a service also reported on site by Karryon and ABC News. ABC News said the Blacktown-raised pilot Aglaya Papadokokolakis was in the cockpit of the first commercial flight, and that Infrastructure Minister Catherine King hailed the perseverance and dedication behind the project. Karryon, reporting from the opening, said Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns were among those who saw off the maiden flight, with a Jetstar service to Melbourne, JQ375, due later on Sunday.
Source: ABC News Australia, Oct 25, 2026
At full scale the airport has capacity for more than 80 million passenger movements annually, the airport said via Reuters, while Karryon reported it has been built to handle up to 10 million passengers annually from day one. The start of passenger services comes after cargo flights began at the facility in July. The airport sits on a 1,780-hectare (4,398-acre) site purchased by the federal government in the 1980s, and was completed in July 2025 after a seven-year build and 15 years of planning, Reuters said.
Source: Reuters, Oct 25, 2026 (Sydney)
Albanese, speaking at the opening, called it “an absolutely extraordinary day” and, according to Karryon, said: “Western Sydney International is our first new major airport for more than five decades, and a wonderful new chapter in the life of our nation.” For the large migrant communities of western Sydney — one of Australia's most diverse regions, with big Punjabi and Indian diaspora populations — a 24-hour international gateway on their side of the city ends the long trip across Sydney for every flight.