The first commercial flight from Australia’s newest international airport will take off this morning from Western Sydney International, bound for the Gold Coast.
Flight JQ362, carrying paying passengers, Jetstar’s boss, and a few journalists, is expected to depart at 11am.
“This is an historic day for aviation in Australia,” Jetstar CEO Steph Tully said, championing the airline’s role in bringing “more choice and low fares to Western Sydney”.
“We’ve got a strong track record of opening up new markets, and Western Sydney, one of the fastest growing regions in the country, is going to be one of the great ones.”
Jetstar expects to fly up to 24 return services a week from Western Sydney. That means up to 14 a week to Melbourne, daily services to the Gold Coast, and three weekly to Brisbane.
The low-cost carrier is flying Airbus A320s, which seat up to 188 passengers, forming part of Jetstar’s newer, more-efficient, and easier-to-operate fleet.
The Federal government, which has backed the airport, and the City of Sydney hope WSI will give travellers a new option with round-the-clock, curfew-free flights both domestically and internationally.
Qantas-owned Jetstar is also vying to fly from Western Sydney to Bali.
The initial route map is fairly modest to start, but it should expand over time as WSI settles in alongside Kingsford Smith.
Eventually, WSI looks set to cater mostly to budget and leisure travel, while Kingsford Smith remains the main hub for premium and business trips.
To mark the start of flights from Western Sydney and induce passengers to try the airport, Jetstar announced fare sales, with Western Sydney – Gold Coast one-way fares starting from $54, Western Sydney – Melbourne from $61, and Western Sydney – Brisbane from $65.
The sale ends 11.59pm AEDT on Monday.
But with a new airport comes new baggage rules for passengers.
The one-way fares will feature Jetstar’s new policy in which every passenger receives an under-seat personal item, while access to overhead bins incurs an additional fee. Those who purchase bin access will board the plane first.
Jetstar’s hope for a Bali route from WSI would grow its already extensive Bali network.
However, rival Virgin is pushing for access to the same capacity to serve Bali. Jetstar-owner Qantas and Virgin are being asked by the International Air Services Commission, which doles out rights to routes, to answer questions about the impact of each airline on “competition, tourism and trade” in their bids.
The first international service from WSI takes place on Monday when Air New Zealand operates its inaugural flights connecting the airport to Auckland.
In keeping with the leisure focus of WSI (compared to the business and premium focus on Sydney Kingsford), Fiji Airways will fly three times a week starting in March.
Additionally, passengers from WSI will be able to fly to Singapore with Singapore Airlines in November, and to Ho Chi Minh City with VietJet early next year.
At the end of next year, Virgin partner Qatar Airways will fly three return services a week to Doha. VietJet also plans to add direct Bangkok services by November next year, pending regulatory approval.
Qantas will operate eight flights a week to Brisbane and Melbourne beginning next year.
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