Air New Zealand is set to become the first international airline to operate to Sydney’s newest airport, Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), with the airline commencing services thrice weekly from the airport from October 26. This new link will provide those who reside in the western suburbs of Australia’s largest city, the opportunity to make the most of Air New Zealand’s extensive international network from Auckland Airport (AKL).
Many New Zealanders reside in Australia, and with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, up to 150,000 call Sydney home. The long-awaited Western Sydney International Airport will lure in airlines with the lack of a curfew (compared to 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), which is restricted for operations between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm daily).
Air New Zealand Flights to Western Sydney International Airport
For 
Star Alliance partner, Air New Zealand, it will begin its first international flights to Western Sydney from October 26, initially operating three times weekly to and from Auckland Airport. It remains unclear at this time if Air New Zealand is keen to explore Sydney’s second airport from its other international gateways, with the airline already serving SYD from Queenstown, Christchurch, and Wellington.
According to the airlines website, flights will depart from Auckland on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, leaving the City of Sails at 6:05 am, for the three hour and 45 minute journey to Sydney’s west. The service will touch down at WSI at 7:50 am and return at 9:00 am to arrive back in Auckland at 2:15 pm. This arrival time is key to allowing passengers to transit into the airline’s wider North American and South Pacific network. The airline already knows that it won’t need to solely rely on transit passengers, given that the demand already exists on the route for point-to-point traffic.
Operated by the airlines Airbus A320neo or A321neo, this will offer passengers an all economy class layout, with the airlines onbopard offering a seat-only fare, or ‘the works’, which includes movies, meals, and baggage. Additional flexibility can be obtained by booking ‘Works Flexi’, which provides full flexibility to change or cancel.
One-Stop To The United States
What makes this route unique is the ability for those traveling from Western Sydney to have a new option for travel without the need to travel from one of the busiest airports in Australia (Sydney). This convenient service from Western Sydney, which is on the outskirts of the city of Penrith, will provide ease of travel with a relatively quiet terminal (at this stage), with a wide range of one-stop options available on Air New Zealand from Auckland.
The service, which will arrive in Auckland early afternoon, is well timed for transit onto Air New Zealand’s North American network, which includes its flagship service to New York (something that Qantas is unable to offer non-stop from SYD, yet, however, is part of the carrier’s Project Sunrise initiative). Other options include Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. Air New Zealand also operates to Vancouver year-round.
Aside from North America, the airline’s wide range of domestic New Zealand flights is bound to be popular for those traveling from Western Sydney, who likely may be on their way to New Zealand to visit friends and relatives. Additionally, the carrier’s network to the South Pacific is bound to be popular, on routes such as Niue, Tahiti, Samoa, and the Cook Islands.
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Beating Singapore Airlines By A Month
With flights already on sale with Air New Zealand and 
Singapore Airlines to Western Sydney, NZ will beat SQ by around a month to become the first international carrier at the airport. With unscheduled flights already testing the airport, WSI is expected to open officially to the public later this year. It is widely expected to see both Qantas and Jetstar commence domestic services from the airport, but these have yet to be announced.
Late this March, Singapore Airlines announced it would also serve Western Sydney, becoming the first long-haul international airline to serve the airport. The decision by SQ to serve this airport comes due to peak demand for travel between Sydney and Asia, and the ability for SQ to serve this airport outside of the current curfew times that are enforced at SYD.
Singapore Airlines flights will operate daily from November 23, pushing back from Singapore at 11:30 am for the long-haul flight to WSI, landing at 10:20 pm local time. The return flight will then depart from Western Sydney at 11:55 pm, just before midnight, and arrive back in Singapore at 5:05 am the next morning.
