Western Sydney Airport (WSI) is edging closer to take-off, with live operational trials now underway across the new precinct, including the first tests of its baggage handling systems.
Over the coming months, teams will put everything from security screening to check-in counters through their paces to ensure a smooth start.
Adding to the action in the skies, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has also begun a series of flight path safety checks.
Using a twin-engine Cessna Conquest, CASA will test approach procedures, verify obstacle clearance and confirm that navigation charts are accurate for incoming aircraft.
Speaking to reporters at WSI, Transport Minister Catherine King said the testing was “all in readiness for the airport operating for freight at the middle of next year and for the first passengers at the end of 2026”.
“We’re just starting to see this airport really come to life with this first round of testing,” she said.
“Next week will be the 737. There’ll be an emergency testing operation, so our firefighting services and other emergency personnel [will] run a live test.”
WSI Chief Operating Officer Matt Duffy said the live testing phase is where the project really starts to come to life.
“The live operational trials… we spin up all of the systems that we’ve been preparing for over the last six months,” he told media at the airport.
“A lot of effort [went] into building our processes and procedures, familiarising people with the assets. Now we’ll start to invite other people into the airport; all of the different stakeholders, airlines, ground handlers, emergency services, so they can prepare themselves, build their capability and actually get us ready for those operations in the second half of next year.
“This is when the rubber hits the road. This is when it gets exciting.”
With regards to its luggage handling testing, Duffy said Western Sydney Airport started today with “about 1,800 bags”.
“We’ve set up a whole lot of dummy flights. And the whole art to this is actually connecting people with their bags,” he said.
“So what we’ve been doing is suspending the bag system with not having bags in it, so just to really pressure test the system. Then we get those 1,800 bags and consecutively push them through on multiple flights and make sure they end up in all the destinations where they’re meant to go. So… great opportunity for us to test the asset as it’s been built.”
More airlines coming?
Currently, only Qantas, Jetstar, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have signed up to use the future Western Sydney hub. But Minister King is confident in the airport’s negotiations with carriers and “you’ll see more announcements to come”.
“The catchment area for Western Sydney is millions and millions of people. We know just the huge growth that is happening out here,” she added, saying “the more [airlines] the better” for the hub.
“People in Western Sydney love to travel and love to be engaged with the world. The fact that we’ve got those airlines already engaged… they have had the foresight to know that this is going to be important.”
Opening date
Despite only having two overseas carriers signed up, Duffy is sure the airport will be open in the “second half of next year” for cargo operations, with passenger flights “a possibility” by then.
“Ultimately, we don’t control fleets’ schedules. That’s really the domain of the airlines,” he remarked.
“Our job here is to make sure that the airport is ready, so we’ll be ready in the second half of next year.
“The airlines ultimately will make a decision on how they schedule their fleets and how they sell their tickets.”
Asked if there could be passenger flights even earlier – by July 2026 – Duffy responded by saying that “might be ambitious”.
“Our job really through the trial process is to work with the airlines,” he remarked.
“Those dates will be determined as we test their operational readiness. The airlines have to actually make sure they’re ready to go as well.
“We’ll be able to provide more information over the next 12 months. But our ambition is to have the airport ready to operate in the second half of next year.”
For more info on Western Sydney Airport, click here.
