Media release from NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham:

A new government fund will put Sydney’s second international airport on course for a successful opening by accelerating aviation capacity from day one, boosting the NSW visitor economy and creating more choice for NSW travellers.

The $8 million Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund will incentivise international airlines to fly new routes into Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) ahead of its grand opening in late 2026. The funding will be matched by WSI, representing a combined fund value of $16 million to boost airline capacity.

The new airport will play an important role in achieving the NSW Government’s goal of $91 billion of visitor expenditure by 2035, with the total $16 million funding package forecast to deliver over 162,000 international visitors to NSW and generate an estimated $530 million of visitor expenditure.

The Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund comes at a critical stage for the state’s newest international gateway with airline tickets for WSI flights scheduled to go on sale from late 2025. This fund will incentivise more carriers to join Qantas and Jetstar (domestic) and Singapore Airlines (international) as the airport works to accelerate passenger numbers to
10 million per year.

The new Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund will be administered by the NSW Government’s lead agency for the visitor economy, Destination NSW.

Allocation of funding provided to airlines will be agreed between Western Sydney International Airport and Destination NSW on a case-by-case basis and will include incentives such as passenger subsidies and marketing support. The funding provided to each airline is subject to the number of services and subsequent number of passengers they carry over the first three years of operation.

This aviation investment comes on top of $10 billion of joint NSW-Federal funding for roads and transport infrastructure to connect WSI to Sydney’s transport network.

Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

“You only get to open a new airport once, that’s why we’re backing Western Sydney airport to land new routes and ensure this once in a generation opportunity is a runway success.

“Western Sydney airport will be a massive growth engine for the NSW visitor economy. This fund will pour jet fuel into that engine.

“The more passengers we can bring in, the more spending across Western Sydney’s incredible food precincts, the sights of the Blue Mountains and the food and wine in the Central West.

“The NSW Government is pulling every lever we can to grow the NSW visitor economy to $91 billion by 2035. This is a crucial one and there’ll be more to come.”

Western Sydney International Airport CEO Simon Hickey said:

With tickets for our first flights set to go on sale later this year and our opening day rapidly approaching, this initial investment with the State Government is very welcome news and another strong signal that Western Sydney International Airport is well and truly open for business.

“This airport – Sydney’s only 24-hour international gateway – will deliver a major boost to the state’s visitor economy and provide further support for the vibrant and diverse tourism attractions that NSW has to offer for both domestic and global travellers alike.”

“WSI is built for growth, with plans in place that will eventually see it become Sydney’s biggest international airport, handling more than 80 million annual passengers, which is akin to London’s Heathrow airport today.”