Western Sydney Airport opens 25 October, with a free St Marys shuttle until the metro arrives

Western Sydney International Airport opens to passengers on Sunday 25 October 2026. Jetstar operates the first commercial flight, an Airbus A320 to the Gold Coast at 11am, and from launch flies up to 14 services a week to Melbourne, four to the Gold Coast and three to Brisbane. Air New Zealand starts flying to Auckland on 26 October, Singapore Airlines begins daily services to Changi on 23 November, and Qantas joins on 28 March 2027.

The metro line built to serve it is well advanced and will follow. Services on the 23-kilometre Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line from St Marys to Bradfield are expected in 2027. Until then, Transport for NSW will run WSI Link, a free shuttle between St Marys station and the airport, every 30 minutes from the start of passenger flights until metro services begin. Five new bus routes linking the airport with Mount Druitt, Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown have been running since 5 July.

Where the line is

Tracklaying finished in June 2026 on the six-station line, and work has moved to fitting out the tunnels and viaducts ahead of train operations.

The first of 12 driverless Siemens trains arrived at the end of June, unloaded at Port Kembla after a 23,000-kilometre voyage from Vienna and taken to the stabling and maintenance facility at Orchard Hills for assembly. The remaining 11 three-carriage trains arrive progressively over the coming months.

Testing starts at the Orchard Hills depot, followed by dynamic testing on the main line, expected later in 2026. Testing and commissioning are the long tail of any new railway — Cross River Rail in Brisbane is going through the same phase — and they set the final opening date.

Specialist contractors are joining for that phase. In August, Parklife Metro awarded EnerMech a contract to support construction and commissioning, covering high-voltage switching, authorised isolator support and permit-to-work services for the safe energisation of the line.

The opening date

The line was originally planned to open alongside the airport. It is now expected in 2027, and a firm date has not been announced.

Timing also depends on a commercial negotiation. Sydney Metro has confirmed it is in discussions with the Parklife Metro consortium — Plenary, Webuild, Siemens and RATP Dev, which holds the stations, systems, trains, operations and maintenance contract — over claims and design changes, and says both parties are working to get metro services running as soon as possible. The Australian Financial Review has reported the claims at up to $2.2 billion.

The essentials

Package structure:

• Stations, Systems, Trains, Operations and Maintenance — PPP
• Station Boxes and Tunnelling — D&C
• Surface and Civil Alignment Works — D&C
• Advanced Enabling Works — various packages

What it means for the Aerotropolis

Development around the airport and along the metro corridor is planned around the rail connection. With the airport open from October and the line following in 2027, precinct works in the Aerotropolis track the metro's timetable rather than the airport's — worth building into any resourcing plan for the corridor.

What to watch

1. Dynamic testing on the main line, expected later in 2026 — the next real milestone.
2. Delivery of the remaining 11 trains from Vienna.
3. A confirmed opening date for the line.
4. The outcome of Sydney Metro's discussions with Parklife Metro.
5. Aerotropolis precinct timing, which follows the line rather than the airport.

Published 28 September 2026 · Updated 2 October 2026