Air New Zealand has become the first international airline to fly into Sydney’s brand-new airport, landing flight NZ165 from Auckland on Monday, 26 October 2026.
The flight touched down at Western Sydney International, also known as Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, named after Australia’s first female commercial pilot.
It is Australia’s first major new international airport in 50 years, built at Badgerys Creek, about 60 kilometres west of central Sydney. Unlike Sydney’s older Kingsford Smith Airport, the new airport will operate 24 hours a day, with no overnight curfew.
Airport boss Simon Hickey called it “the most transformational piece of infrastructure our nation has seen since the Sydney Harbour Bridge.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the opening was a “milestone” that had been “decades in the making.”
More airlines are already lining up to fly there. Singapore Airlines will start flights in November, and Fiji Airways plans to begin flights in March.
The airport can currently handle about 10 million passengers a year, but that number could grow to more than 80 million passengers in the future.
For now, it’s a proud moment for Air New Zealand, who got to make history before any other international airline.
The new airport should also make it easier for Kiwis flying to Sydney in the future, by giving travellers a second airport to choose from, alongside the older Kingsford Smith Airport closer to the city.
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