Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport

From 1 November 2026, some changes will take effect to the types of aircraft that can operate at Sydney Airport during the overnight curfew.

What is changing?

From 1 November, existing curfew exemptions at Sydney Airport for some freight aircraft, propeller-driven aircraft and business jets will no longer apply.

This change is part of the existing legislative arrangements for Sydney Airport and takes effect now that WSI is open.

What is staying the same?

Sydney Airport’s curfew hours are not changing. Emergency aircraft movements will continue to be permitted during the curfew, and the Minister will continue to have the ability to approve aircraft movements in exceptional circumstances.

The Australian Government has formally confirmed 1 November 2026 as the relevant date through the Sydney Airport Curfew (Availability of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport for Night Aircraft Movements) Instrument 2026.

You can read the Instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation and find more information in the Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995.

Want to know more?

Airport curfews and operating hours are set by the Australian Government and are not determined by Airservices Australia. Airservices’ role is to manage air traffic and provide air navigation services within these arrangements.

If you have questions or feedback about the changes to Sydney Airport’s curfew arrangements, please contact the Department of Infrastructure at curfews@infrastructure.gov.au.

On Sunday 25 October 2026, passenger operations at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) will commence.

Communities may notice increased aircraft operations to and from the airport during both daytime and night-time periods. Flight activity may occur at different times of the day and night depending on operational requirements.

The timing and frequency of freight flights are determined by commercial arrangements between the airport and freight operators. Airservices Australia does not determine, approve or influence airline schedules.

Community members interested in tracking aircraft activity can use WebTrak, our online aircraft noise and flight path monitoring tool.

Information about aircraft operations or noise enquiry, should be directed to our Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS) via one of the methods published here: Making a complaint - Airservices

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI), in conjunction with Jetstar, will be conducting testing of the Passenger area at the new airport site. As part of this testing, live aircraft operations will take place, including aircraft arrivals and departures from the airport.

During testing, aircraft will use the published flight paths that took effect from 9 July 2026, subject to air traffic control instructions and operational requirements.

Please see details of the test flight below:

Tuesday 1 September 2026
Aircraft: A320
Arrival: approximately 9:30 am
Departure: approximately 3:20 pm

Please note that times and aircraft types may change at short notice, subject to operational requirements and weather conditions.

These flights form part of operational readiness and testing activities ahead of the airport's opening for passenger operations on 25 October 2026.

Should further testing be required, the community will be notified accordingly.

There is no public viewing available for these activities.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the WSI team at info@wsiairport.com.au.

We are hosting a Q&A webinar on Monday 7 September from 6pm-7pm, providing an opportunity for community members to ask questions about flight paths and aircraft operations. To help us address the topics of greatest interest, participants are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the webinar.

You can register for the webinar and submit your questions as part of the registration process here: https://events.humanitix.com/western-sydney-international-nancy-bird-walton-airport-flight-paths-webinar-7-september-2026

Please note that we will only be able to address questions which are within Airservices' remit. For questions relating to the topics below, we encourage community members to contact the relevant agency directly.

Curfews
Curfews are outside the remit of Airservices Australia and are legislated by the Federal Parliament. The Australian Government has reaffirmed its commitment not to impose any additional operating constraints on airports, such as curfews or movement caps, where they currently do not exist (Aviation White Paper 2024). For more information, visit: www.airservicesaustralia.com/about-us/about-our-operations/airport-curfews

Noise Insulation Program
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is responsible for the Noise Insulation Program for WSI and are leading the engagement with landowners. To find out more visit: wsinoiseinsulation.gov.au or email wsinoiseinsulation@infrastructure.gov.au

Flight schedules and transport options to WSI
Flight schedules are determined through agreements between airlines and the airport operator, please visit www.wsiairport.com.au. You will also find information on how to get to WSI on this website: How to get to WSI | WSI

On Sunday 26 July 2026, freight operations at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) will commence.

Communities may notice aircraft operating to and from the airport during both daytime and night-time periods. Flight activity may occur at different times of the day and night depending on operational requirements.

The timing and frequency of freight flights are determined by commercial arrangements between the airport and freight operators. Airservices Australia does not determine, approve or influence airline schedules.

Community members interested in tracking aircraft activity can use WebTrak, our online aircraft noise and flight path monitoring tool.

Information about aircraft operations or noise enquiry, should be directed to our Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS) via one of the methods published here: Making a complaint - Airservices

We will continue to provide information to the community as airport operations evolve.

Airservices is testing its two Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at Western Sydney International Airport. An ILS is a precision navigation aid that provides aircraft with both vertical and lateral guidance when approaching a runway for landing.

AeroPearl, Airservices Australia's flight inspection service provider, is responsible for conducting airborne checks of all navigation aids installed by Airservices.

AeroPearl will conduct a number of test flight runs on each ILS using a dedicated flight inspection aircraft. Flights are planned for Sunday 19 July 2026 from approx. 8am, with Monday 20 July 2026 designated as a contingency day should testing not be completed as scheduled.

Testing is expected to take between four and six hours. The specific flight paths and test runs conducted on the day will depend on prevailing weather conditions and Air Traffic Control (ATC) requirements across the Sydney Basin.

During the testing period, local residents may observe a twin-engine aircraft flying repeated low-level flight patterns within approximately 50 kilometres of the airport.

This testing will take place in addition to the previously announced Qantas Freight test flights over the same two-day period. The activities are separate and independent and will be monitored by Air Traffic Control.

For further information, please contact wsia@airservicesaustralia.com.

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI), in conjunction with Qantas Freight, will be conducting testing of the Cargo Precinct at the new airport site. As part of this testing, live aircraft operations will take place, including aircraft arrivals and departures from the airport.

During testing, aircraft will use the published flight paths that take effect from 9 July 2026, subject to air traffic control instructions and operational requirements.

Subject to weather and operational conditions, the planned test flights are outlined below. Please note that times and aircraft types may change at short notice, subject to operational requirements.

Monday 13 July 2026
Aircraft: A321
Arrival: approximately 12:15 pm
Departure: approximately 8:45 pm

Friday 17 July 2026
Aircraft: A321
Arrival: approximately 9:25 am

Saturday 18 July 2026
Aircraft: BAE 146
Arrival: approximately 11:30 am
Departure: approximately 3:30 pm

Aircraft: A321
Departure: approximately 4:25 pm

Sunday 19 July 2026
Aircraft: BAE 146
Arrival: approximately 11:30 am
Departure: approximately 3:30 pm

Monday 20 July 2026
Aircraft: A330
Arrival: approximately 1:45 pm

Tuesday 21 July 2026
Aircraft: A330
Departure: approximately 6:40 pm

Friday 24 July 2026
Aircraft: B737-400
Arrival: approximately 10:00am
Departure: approximately 3:00pm

These flights form part of operational readiness and testing activities ahead of the airport's opening for freight operations on 26 July 2026.

Should further testing be required, the community will be notified accordingly.

There is no public viewing available for these activities.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the WSI team at info@wsiairport.com.au.

The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King announced key opening dates for Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport.

Freight operations to start 26 July 2026

Minister King confirmed last week that freight operations at WSI will commence on Sunday 26 July 2026. Qantas Freight has advised it will begin operating from the airport from Monday 27 July 2026.

Freight flights are expected to operate during both daytime and night-time hours, with schedules likely to differ between weekdays and weekends. Flight times and frequencies will be determined by airlines and the airport operator.

Passenger operations to start 25 October 2026

Passenger services at WSI are scheduled to begin on Sunday 25 October 2026, with both domestic and international flights planned. Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines have confirmed international services, while Qantas and Jetstar recently announced their domestic routes. Community members are encouraged to visit airline websites directly for the latest flight schedules and service information.

Ahead of operations commencing, WSI Airport and Qantas will undertake a series of test flights in July and September using the aircraft that will operate from the airport. Airservices will share further information about these test flights will be shared with the community as it becomes available.

Changes to Sydney Airport’s curfew operations from 1 November 2026

The Minister also confirmed that, in line with the Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995, freight flights currently permitted during Sydney Airport’s curfew hours (11pm–6am) will no longer be allowed from 1 November 2026. Freight operators will need to either relocate these services to WSI or reschedule flights outside curfew hours. Exceptions will continue for emergencies or where special dispensation applies.

It is expected that operators such as Qantas Freight will transition their current night freight operations at Sydney Airport to WSI from 27 July 2026.

The Minister’s full media release can be found here: It’s official – Western Sydney to open to passengers on 25 October and freight on 26 July 2026 | Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure

Airservices will be conducting testing of the Digital Aerodrome Service (DAS) at and around the new airport site.

A small aircraft will undertake a series of flight validation runs on the following dates:

Thursday 4 June from 3pm until sunset

Friday 5 June from 7am - approximately 9am

During these periods, local residents may notice a small aircraft flying repeated low‑level flight patterns around the airport. These flight patterns are required to support system testing and do not represent the published flight paths for WSI.

Community members can view the aircraft movements via WSI WebTrak page(External link), which also displays the locations of the noise monitors.