Overview
- The airport began passenger operations on Sunday with Jetstar’s inaugural commercial flight to the Gold Coast and a modest initial domestic schedule while international services begin in the coming days.
- WSI is a 24-hour, curfew-free gateway built at a reported cost of about $5.3–$5.6 billion by roughly 10,000 workers and opens with a terminal sized for about 10 million passengers a year.
- Several carriers including Jetstar, Qantas-linked services, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and others have committed routes now or scheduled them through 2027, with longer-haul services phased later.
- Local residents have reported noise from overnight freight, missing home sound insulation and unfinished mitigation measures, and there is no direct passenger rail until a rapid-transit metro is due to open in 2027.
- Governments and planners are pushing an aerotropolis to capture economic gains—reported nearby private investment reached about $34 billion—but analysts warn growth and profitability will depend on transport links, population growth and airline uptake.