The milestones keep coming for Sydney’s future second international hub. This week, an aircraft tested Western Sydney Airport’s (WSI) runway for the first time, with a Piper PA-30 Comanche conducting takeoffs and landings in both directions during the day and night.
Checking the airport’s 3,000 ground lights under various conditions, the tests will help ensure the runway is ready for action ahead of WSI’s planned opening in late 2026.
“This week’s flight tests are an important commissioning requirement stipulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to help ensure our runway lighting infrastructure is fit for operations,” WSI CEO Simon Hickey said.
“These tests are the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by our contract partners to level the land, build multiple complex layers of sandstone and asphalt to form the 3.7km runway and install lighting, line marking and technology systems that will soon support passenger and cargo operations at WSI.
“There are thousands of workers bringing WSI to life each day, many of whom are Western Sydney locals, and this week they can look down that runway and know they built something that will stand the test of time and provide a critical service to many millions of Australians.”
First freighter
Meanwhile, Western Sydney Airport and the Qantas Group have strengthened their partnership, with Qantas Freight becoming the airport’s first cargo airline.
WSI’s 24-hour cargo precinct will boost Sydney’s air cargo capacity by 33 per cent and connect to major logistics hubs nearby.
Qantas will operate from a 24,000-square-metre facility, supporting the movement of goods with new Airbus A321 and A330 freighters.
The precinct, designed for efficient cargo handling, is set to begin operations in late 2026, offering space for up to eight wide-body aircraft.
“Western Sydney International Airport has some big strategic advantages for freight operations particularly with overnight flights which will help ensure parcels and other critical freight can be delivered around Australia as quickly as possible,” Qantas International and Freight CEO Cam Wallace said.
“We are in the process of renewing and growing our fleet of air freighters, with the newer aircraft that will fly out of Western Sydney quieter and more sustainable than older models.”
Hickey added, “We’re pleased to welcome Qantas Freight as the first freight airline to operate at Sydney’s new, integrated cargo precinct that will enable direct connectivity between freighters, the terminal and road transport”.
WSI, known as Nancy-Bird Walton, also recently released a tender for a duty-free retail partner for the new airport, which will operate 24/7.
“We are well on the way to delivering a top-tier shopping experience for our future passengers, visitors and staff,” Hickey stated.
“We’re excited to be building an airport in Sydney’s cultural heartland that can be a destination in its own right and we want to collaborate with retailers that champion customer engagement and provide a distinctive experience that reflects the region in which we’ll be operating.”
