Air New Zealand launches first international service from Western Sydney International to Auckland

Air New Zealand flight NZ166 departed Western Sydney International for Auckland shortly after 9am today, becoming the first international commercial departure from the new airport.

The airline’s earlier service from Auckland, NZ165, touched down at WSI at 7.27am, arriving 18 minutes ahead of schedule and representing the airport’s first international arrival.

Passengers Matt and Serena Ross were among those on the inaugural Auckland service.

“It’s a milestone event, so it’s special to be part of that,” said Serena.

The couple said they had taken a long Uber to reach WSI and had assumed their reservation was for Sydney’s Kingsford‑Smith Airport at Mascot. “Glad we checked our tickets to verify what airport they were flying out of,” Matt said.

Air New Zealand will fly the Auckland route three times weekly, serving family, business and trade links between western Sydney and New Zealand. Kate Boyer, the airline’s chief operations officer, highlighted a large Kiwi population and expat community in the western suburbs as a key driver for the service.

The carrier’s short‑haul general manager, Lucy Hall, said WSI gives western Sydney a “new, convenient gateway to New Zealand” and adds an alternative to the existing Sydney airport for travellers and businesses.

The federal government has emphasised WSI’s 24 hours of operations without a curfew as an attraction for international carriers, improving flexibility for long‑haul connections that can be constrained at curfewed airports. Singapore Airlines is due to start services in November, with Fiji Airways and Qatar Airways planning routes next year.

Flight Centre data shows trans‑Tasman corporate bookings are up 8.4% year‑on‑year, and seat capacity across Australia‑New Zealand routes is set to grow, with increases of seven and eight per cent year‑on‑year expected in the final three months of the year. Renos Rologas, ANZ general manager of FCM Travel, said WSI offers western Sydney business travellers direct access to New Zealand for the first time and is already supporting bookings led by construction, manufacturing and healthcare sectors.

WSI’s first domestic flight, a Jetstar service to the Gold Coast, departed yesterday as the airport begins operations as Sydney’s second major airport. For passengers and companies planning travel, the experience of early customers underlines the need to check departure and arrival airports carefully when booking and travelling.