Western Sydney International Airport is ramping up its operational readiness program, with ongoing trials carried out across the terminal and broader airport as opening day approaches in the second half of 2026.

At the same time, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority is conducting flight path safety checks at the airport, which will involve a light plane, a twin-engine Cessna Conquest, carrying out test flights to ensure the airport's approach procedures are safe and accurate before the plane lands on the runway. The flight checks will also allow the authority to confirm that obstacles are accurately marked on charts to ensure infrastructure like towers, masts or buildings or environmental factors like trees can be safely navigated by aircraft coming in to land at Western Sydney International.

WSI Chief Operating Officer, Matt Duffy, said that the operational readiness kick-off would really start to bring the airport to life and see staff test the precinct's assets more rigorously alongside critical partners like the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and other federal agencies. "Decades of planning, years of construction and millions of work hours have got us to this exciting moment where we're essentially switching on all of the various systems and services at WSI and putting these brand-new assets through their paces," Duffy said.

"This next phase will see our WSI team trial the dozens of technology systems and assets on which our 24-hour airport will rely each day and importantly, test the resilience of those systems as well," he said. "The ongoing training of staff is also a key part of the program, it allows them to build their skills and experience in a safe, controlled environment so they're equipped to respond effectively to various simulated scenarios."

Duffy said the test flights were also an excellent demonstration of the airport's close collaboration with critical agencies that will support Western Sydney International's operations when it begins welcoming passengers. "The CASA safety checks today are an important part of the airport's ongoing aerodrome certification requirements and comes after WSI welcomed its first plane on the runway in October 2024, which tested the airfield lighting systems," he said.

"It also comes on the eve of WSI's planned emergency exercise that's set to take place next week and will see the first 737 land on our runway, as well as hundreds of emergency service personnel and federal agencies flex their operational muscles as part of a staged aircraft incident."

The airport remains on track to open for domestic, international and cargo services in the second half of next year. The operational readiness program represents a critical milestone in the delivery of what will be Sydney's second major aviation gateway, designed to ease pressure on the existing Sydney Airport and support the growing population of western Sydney with direct international and domestic connectivity.

Source: Infrastructure Magazine

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