Sydney Opens US$4 Billion Second Airport With Sparse Flight Schedule

Sydney’s Western Sydney International has opened for commercial operations with a sparse schedule, raising questions about the new airport’s immediate prospects.

After more than half a century of political procrastination, environmental protests and funding shortfalls, the city now has a second airport.

The A$5.6 billion (US$4 billion) facility is the biggest addition to Sydney’s aviation infrastructure in decades, but major airlines have so far shown limited interest.

First flight will be a Jetstar service

Western Sydney International is 50km (31 miles) inland from the city centre.

Its first passenger flight will be a Jetstar service to the Gold Coast on Sunday.

The airport has attracted only a handful of airlines, according to the source material.

Aviation data company Cirium says the facility will have half a dozen or fewer scheduled flights a day for the next 12 months.

That limited timetable has placed the airport’s commercial prospects under scrutiny even as the long-delayed project begins operations.

Airlines are cutting capacity

The airport is opening as the global travel industry faces its toughest period since the pandemic.

Airlines around the world are warning about rising fuel costs and fares as the Iran War drags on.

Many carriers, including dominant Australian airline Qantas, are cutting back on domestic capacity rather than adding flights.

That leaves fewer opportunities for a new airport to quickly build a broad schedule.

Airlines are also struggling to obtain new jets, leaving few spare aircraft available for start-ups such as Western Sydney International.

Passenger demand at the airport remains unproven, adding to the difficulty of persuading airlines to commit aircraft and services.

The result is a major airport opening with substantial infrastructure but only a small number of scheduled flights in its first 12 months.

Source: South China Morning Post