Western Sydney to get major new hotel

South-western Sydney is booming with the imminent opening of the city's new international airport. 

The new Atura Oran Park hotel will tap into that when it opens 20 minutes away from Western Sydney International Airport in October. 

Oran Park is in one of Australia's fastest-growing communities and the Atura is being developed in partnership between the Perich family and EVT Hotels & Resorts, which will operate the 184-room hotel on the site of the former Oran Park Raceway.

An Italian-inspired restaurant and bar (below) will anchor the hotel's social offering, while a resort-style pool and terrace will aim to invite guests to slow down and linger. 

Oran Park is forecast to expand to more than 50,000 residents over the coming decades, while Western

Sydney International Airport will welcome millions of passengers annually.

Already established in Blacktown, Albury, Dandenong and Adelaide Airport, Atura Oran Park will mark the brand's fifth Australian location. 

Shannon Craig, Area General Manager of Atura Oran Park, said the opening represented an exciting new chapter for both the hotel and the wider region. 

“We’re opening at a time when south western Sydney is experiencing extraordinary growth and momentum, and being the closest hotel to the new Western Sydney International Airport puts us in a commanding position to support travellers in and out of Sydney,” she said.

“Together with the Perich family, we’ve designed a hotel that feels open, vibrant and full of energy, with beautiful communal spaces, generous outdoor areas and places where people naturally want to spend time. 

"The accommodation has been equally considered, with a mix of room categories catering to everything including both overnight visits and extended stays. It's contemporary and welcoming, with a design language that draws on the region's motorsport ties and the Perich family’s heritage, creating a strong sense of place and connection to the neighbourhood that sits at the very heart of Atura."

Atura Oran Park will be at 135 Podium Way, Oran Park, NSW, 2570. See aturahotels.com

Ready, steady go: freight flights baptise new Western Sydney airport

The new Western Sydney International Airport will see its first passenger departures and arrivals on October 25, but commercial air freight flights are already operating.

Qantas and Australia Post, who have extended their 100-year air freight partnership for a further 10 years, will today operate their first commercial freight flight at WSI (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport, officially opening the new 24/7 cargo terminal.

Australia Post parcels will be on the first service, QF7340, departing WSI at 10.25pm for Brisbane.

Qantas Freight expects to move more than 160,000 parcels through the 24,000 square metre facility in its first 24 hours, with 12 arrivals overnight from 10pm.

Domestic services will operate to and from WSI to Melbourne, Cairns, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Perth, as well as onward flights to regional centres, processing more than 850 tonnes of freight a week. 

Qantas international flights are expected to begin early next year.

Qantas Freight will operate a dedicated fleet of two A330 freighters and six A321 freighters, with three more on the way, plus priority space in the cargo hold of more than 300 aircraft across the Qantas passenger fleet. 

Qantas’ freight network serves more than 110 destinations across Australia and around the world.

The Qantas and Australia Post partnership dates back to November 1922, when Qantas flew 106 letters on behalf of Australia Post on its inaugural commercial flight from Charleville to Cloncurry in Queensland.

Qantas CEO of International and Freight Cam Wallace and Australia Post Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Paul Graham were on site to officially open the new freight terminal.

"Australians are increasingly reliant on airfreight with the continued growth of e-commerce and we’re proud to be extending our partnership with Australia Post," Wallace says.

“We’ve transformed our freighter fleet over the past few years, with newer, larger and more efficient aircraft to support Australia Post and their customers’ needs.

“It’s a historic day for aviation in Australia as our first freight services take off from Western Sydney International Airport. This new terminal will help us meet growing demand for next-day deliveries and move express cargo across Australia and the world.

"Western Sydney International is a major piece of infrastructure for this country and we're proud to be opening our new freight terminal and comes ahead of Jetstar's first passenger services in October and Qantas to follow early next year."

Qantas and Jetstar confirm flights from new Western Sydney Airport

Qantas and Jetstar will use the new Western Sydney International Airport to link to some of Australia's most popular domestic destinations.

Jetstar will launch the first commercial passenger service when Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) opens on Sunday, October 25.

The Qantas Group and WSI today announced they had finalised a five-year agreement for domestic passenger flights and freight that will enable both airlines to build their schedule as demand for services grows in Western Sydney.

Jetstar will make history when JQ362 departs at 11am on October 25 to the Gold Coast. The airline will operate up to 14 flights a week between WSI and Melbourne, four weekly flights to the Gold Coast and three weekly flights to Brisbane. All flights will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft.

Qantas operations will begin on March 28, 2027, with four flights per week to both Melbourne and Brisbane on a QantasLink Embraer E190.

Qantas will also be one of the first commercial airlines to fly from the airport when its inaugural freighter service takes off from WSI’s 24-hour Cargo Precinct on the evening of Monday, July 27.

All flights will be in addition to current services from Sydney Airport (Kingsford Smith).

“This is a major milestone for Australian aviation and one that has been years in the making," says Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson.

"We’re incredibly proud that Jetstar will be the first Australian airline to begin operations at Western Sydney International Airport and Qantas will follow early next year.

“We’re excited by the potential of Western Sydney International Airport to spur local tourism and make aviation more accessible for millions of people in Western Sydney, who currently have to travel to Kingsford Smith to catch a flight.

“Jetstar has an incredible history of growing new markets and being the first airline to launch will give one of the country’s fastest growing regions better access to low fares to some of our most popular destinations.

“We know there’s growing demand for customers in Western Sydney and we’re proud to be working with Gold Coast Airport and Tourism and Events Queensland to make our services to South-East Queensland a reality."

Singapore Airlines goes large on new Western Sydney International Airport

 

Singapore Airlines will launch daily non-stop flights between Singapore and the new Western Sydney International Airport from November 23.

The airline will operate its Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft, which features 303 seats in two cabin classes: 40 in business class and 263 in economy class, subject to regulatory approval..

The inaugural flight, SQ201, is scheduled to depart Singapore at 11:30am on November 23 and arrive at 22:20pm. The return flight, SQ202, is scheduled to depart Western Sydney International Airport on the same day at 23:55pm and arrive in Singapore at 05:05am the next morning.

Combined with SIA’s four-times-daily services to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, the airline will operate five daily flights to Sydney: Australia’s financial hub.

With the addition of Western Sydney International, SIA will serve eight destinations in Australia. Scoot, SIA’s low-cost subsidiary, serves three destinations in Australia.

“Singapore Airlines’ services to Australia’s newest gateway at Western Sydney will deliver more choice and strengthen connectivity to this popular destination for our customers," says Dai Haoyu, senior vice president for marketing and planning.

"Western Sydney’s late-night departure capacity will enable a seamless travel journey and connections through Singapore Changi Airport, to more than 130 global destinations served by the SIA Group.”

Simon Hickey, CEO of WSI, said: “Western Sydney International Airport is thrilled to be partnering with Singapore Airlines, bringing more of its Skytrax certified 5-Star service to the people of Greater Sydney.

"Our 24-hour capacity, coupled with Singapore Airlines’ extensive global connectivity, will open our city to the world in new and exciting ways. From Sydney to Singapore and beyond, we are pleased to help herald this new era of aviation that will ultimately give Australian travellers more choice and flexibility on when, where, and how they choose to fly.”

Tickets are on sale from today.

Patience will be a virtue at Western Sydney's new international airport

Are you planning to fly into the new Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) at Luddenham when it opens later this year? 

If your final destination is downtown Sydney, or beyond, you may need to be very, very patient. 

Ongoing delays with the Metro station that is supposed to serve the 24-hour airport mean you'll need to wait for up to 30 minutes after you land and clear customs and immigration, then catch a shuttle bus, and then switch to a suburban train. 

Transport for NSW this week proudly announced that it will offer a free bus service connecting WSI to St Marys railway station/bus interchange as delays continue on the new Metro rail line.

The buses will operate on a half-hourly basis between 4.30am and midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 4.30am until 1am on Friday and Saturday. The ride will take around 30 minutes. 

Then you will wait for a local train. 

A train trip from St Marys to Sydney CBD (Central Station) typically takes around 60-75 minutes on the T1 Western Line, often requiring a change at Strathfield or Lidcombe for faster routes. 

That sounds fun if you are dragging luggage with you. 

But Transport for NSW is proclaiming proudly that "free public transport will connect Western Sydney International Airport when it opens its doors later in the year". 

"The interim service will provide the connection to the wider Sydney public transport network that will be delivered by the new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport when it opens next year," it says.

The free airport buses will apparently "complement a comprehensive bus plan for Western Sydney, which is set to provide new services every 30 minutes linking the airport to Penrith, Leppington, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Mount Druitt".

The new 23-kilometre Metro line, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Government, will have capacity to move up to 7,740 passengers every hour in each direction. When it opens. Maybe next year. 

The six-stop line will connect Western Sydney International Airport to St Marys in just 15 minutes. 

Track laying on the line is now 70% complete, while the toll-free M12 motorway that will link the airport to the Sydney motorway network is due to open "in coming months". 

Why there will be no control tower at Sydney's new airport

The new Western Sydney International Airport will be lacking a key ingredient when it opens next year.

It will not have a traditional air traffic control tower on site.

Airspace controllers will instead be stationed at a data centre almost 20km from where the planes are landing.

Instead of a control tower with visual controllers, there will be a 45-metre mast fitted with 20 high-definition cameras beaming live feeds back to the data centre.

The data centre will use artificial intelligence (hmm) to overlay information using live feeds.

The system will also utilise object tracking, infrared cameras, night vision and image enhancement to allow controllers to see beyond the limitations of the human eye.

Should something go wrong - maybe a cyberattack or power outage, approach controllers based at Sydney Airport will take over.

Except Sydney Airport shuts down overnight and Western Sydney is supposed to be a 24-hour operation. That could be problematic.

Critics say this is a case of saving money by using AI technology instead of paying someone a wage.

A similar system is used at London City Airport, where planes are guided by air traffic controllers based 115km away in the NATS control centre at Swanwick in Hampshire.

There are also three digital airfields in Germany, plus others in Argentina, Brazil, Hungary and Norway, but this is the first in Australia.

The new WSI airport will not have a night-time curfew.

It is officially known as Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport; named in honour of Nancy Bird Walton, the youngest Australian woman to gain a pilot's licence.

Singapore Airlnes, Qantas and Jetstar are among the airlines to have committed to using the new facility.

So moral of the story is we want to save $$$ by putting in AI technology instead of paying someone a living wage

Sydney's second international airport just two years from opening

Western Sydney International Airport is just two years away from being fully operational.

WSI, also known as Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, expects to be open for domestic, international and air cargo services in the second half of 2026.

The 24-hour airport has also confirmed its first international airline, with Singapore Airlines (SIA), confirming its intention to operate out of the new facility.

The new strategic partnership between WSI and the Skytrax certified 5-Star Airline, comes as commercial discussions about the airline’s future operations at Australia’s first greenfield airport in more than 50 years, continue.

Airport CEO Simon Hickey said at the arrangement between WSI and the Skytrax certified 5-Star airline was recognition of the airport’s unique scheduling opportunities that airlines, like SIA, will be able to harness into the future.

“This inaugural international airline arrangement is a fantastic milestone for Western Sydney International Airport and reflects the positive response we’ve had from airlines, especially in regard to the unprecedented opportunities our 24-hour capability unlocks,” he said.

“Western Sydney International Airport’s late-night departure capacity, for instance, could allow Singapore Airlines’ business travellers to finish a full day’s work in Sydney, take an overnight flight and arrive in Singapore before their first morning meeting the very next day.

“Late-night departures could also allow passengers to transit more swiftly from Singapore through their award-winning Changi Airport hub to connect to one of the 125 destinations served by the Singapore Airlines Group.”

Hickey said Western Sydney International Airport was focused on delivering a smooth and simple experience for its customers, underpinned by the latest technology, which was another major drawcard for Singapore Airlines.

“Our combined international and domestic terminal will give Singapore Airlines customers a seamless transfer experience, while our state-of-the-art baggage system and efficient design, including five-minute taxi times on the tarmac, means passengers will be able to get on their flight faster and relax and enjoy the award-winning service on board,” he said.

Based a region that is home to more than 150 different nationalities, the new airport will also unlock new opportunities for the region’s residents who often visit family or friends overseas. There have been media reports that Turkish Airlines is also considering a deal.

“With the airport build now more than 80% progressed - including the recent completion of our terminal roof - and this step forward to advance international airline negotiations, our diverse communities can really get a sense of their future airport, and the experience they’ll have flying from here in late 2026,” Hickey said.

Singapore Airlines regional vice president South West Pacific, Louis Arul, said: “This agreement reflects our commitment to enhancing network connectivity for travellers to and from Sydney, and providing additional services for Australia, which is a major market for the Singapore Airlines Group.

“This is a unique opportunity to work with a greenfield airport to set a new base line for customer experience throughout an airport ecosystem.

“We are working closely with WSI to ensure that our customers will continue to enjoy the comprehensive, end-to-end, world-class experience that is synonymous with Singapore Airlines.”

The airport is located 44km west of the Sydney CBD and 41km west of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which closes between 11pm-6am.
.