Sydney, Australia: Western Sydney International Airport officially launched passenger operations on Sunday, with Jetstar flight JQ362 departing for the Gold Coast as the airport's first commercial passenger flight.
The fully booked inaugural flight opened for check-in at 8am local time and took off around 11:20am, Xinhua reporters learned at the airport.
Jetstar flight JQ363 from the Gold Coast landed at the new airport at around 3:10pm. The day's schedule also included Jetstar flight JQ375 to Melbourne.
"I'm so excited to see this airport. I just want to be part of history," Francis, a passenger on the inaugural flight, told Xinhua.
Francis, who lives in Strathfield in Sydney's west, said he took a train to St Marys before transferring to a bus to reach the airport, with the journey taking about one hour and 20 minutes.
Although the airport is not yet directly connected to the rail network, Francis said its round-the-clock operations would be particularly convenient for frequent travelers and that he would consider using the airport again.
Western Sydney International Airport CEO Simon Hickey told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the opening marked a significant milestone and a generational change for Australia's aviation industry.
Hickey said the airport had been designed with future growth in mind, with annual passenger traffic expected to approach 10 million by the early to mid-2030s.
Located about 45 km west of central Sydney, the airport began cargo operations in July after seven years of construction.
Unlike Sydney's existing Kingsford Smith Airport, which is subject to a night-time curfew, the new airport can operate 24 hours a day.
Under the announced flight plans, the airport will serve domestic destinations including the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Brisbane. Its first international passenger service, connecting Western Sydney with Auckland, New Zealand, is scheduled to begin on Monday, with more international routes planned for the future.
