Western Sydney International Airport has moved another step closer to opening after a Jetstar Airbus A320 became the first passenger aircraft from the airline to land at the new airport as part of final operational trials.
The aircraft arrived from Melbourne at 9.30am on 1 September, eight weeks ahead of the commencement of commercial passenger services on 25 October.
The exercise was designed to replicate a normal passenger flight and allow Jetstar and airport staff to test procedures before the airport opens.
The crew tested arrival and departure procedures, taxi routes, positioning at the gate and aerobridge, refuelling, baggage handling and aircraft turnaround processes.
At the same time, volunteer passengers have been moving through the terminal to test the end-to-end airport experience, including check-in, bag drop, security screening, departures and arrivals.
Western Sydney International has been running passenger trials every Tuesday and Thursday, with the program continuing into October as staff test technology, passenger flows and operating procedures.
Jetstar Chief Pilot Tyrone Simes said conducting the aircraft trial eight weeks before opening would allow the airline to incorporate what it learned into procedures and crew briefings ahead of the first commercial flight.
Western Sydney International Chief Operating Officer Matt Duffy said the exercise formed an important part of the airport’s operational readiness program, designed to ensure staff, systems and processes were fully prepared for opening.
Jetstar will operate the first commercial passenger departure from the new airport, with flight JQ362 scheduled to leave for the Gold Coast at 11am on Sunday, 25th October.
The airline plans to operate up to 14 flights a week between Western Sydney and Melbourne, daily services to the Gold Coast and three flights a week to Brisbane, using Airbus A320 aircraft.
Jetstar has already increased its planned Gold Coast schedule from four services a week to daily flights following stronger-than-expected demand.
The expanded schedule means Jetstar expects to provide around 135,000 seats a year to and from Western Sydney.
The airport will operate 24 hours a day and provide Western Sydney residents and businesses with an alternative to travelling across the city to Sydney Airport.