Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) has welcomed its first Jetstar trial flight – an A320 passenger aircraft – alongside hundreds of volunteer trial passengers, as the airport enters the final phase of its Operational Readiness Program ahead of commercial services beginning on 25 October.
The trial passengers, members of the public volunteering their time, are helping WSI and its partners test the full terminal journey, including check-in, security screening and engagement with airport facilities and staff, ahead of the airport’s opening.
WSI chief operating officer Matt Duffy said the final phase of testing began in August and is running with hundreds of participants each week.
“By October, we anticipate that thousands of participants will have engaged in our trial program – each one of them playing an important role in stress-testing our systems, processes and people,” Duffy said. “We’re aiming to make these various elements to be as ‘fail safe’ as they can be.”
Duffy said the trials were also giving staff experience in managing round-the-clock airport operations ahead of WSI’s opening as Australia’s first major international greenfield airport in more than 50 years.
“The interest from volunteers within the community for the trials was overwhelming – thousands of trial slots were filled within days,” he said.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said the trial flight was a key test of the airport’s readiness.
“We’ve had a firefighting tanker and hundreds of freight flights take off and land at Western Sydney International,” King said. “Now for the first time, a Jetstar passenger plane has come into land at the new airport.”
Systems tested
King said airline and airport crews had tested aerobridges, refuelling, baggage services and other systems 54 days ahead of Jetstar’s inaugural commercial flight to the Gold Coast.
Jetstar chief pilot Tyrone Simes described flying the first service into the new airport as a once-in-a-career moment.
“Australia hasn’t opened a major new airport like this in more than 50 years, so this morning was a genuinely exciting milestone for me and the team,” Simes said.
Simes said the timing – eight weeks out from Jetstar’s first commercial flight – was deliberate, giving the airline time to refine crew procedures before launch.
“Today’s flight was about getting to know the airport before we carry customers,” he said. “Crew flew the arrival and departure exactly as they will in October, then worked through the ground side of the operation: the taxi route to the gate, lining up on the aerobridge, and the turnaround that gets the aircraft back out again.”
Trial participants are simulating both domestic and international arrivals and departures, using self-check-in and bag-drop facilities and the airport’s security screening, which includes extra-long lanes, additional body scanners and central image processing. Officers from the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are also taking part, testing the international arrivals and border security process.
WSI’s passenger services launch on Sunday 25 October 2026.
Getting to WSI before the Sydney Metro arrives: what you need to know
