Oceania | 26 October 2026
The story in brief
A new international airport opened in Sydney, Australia, on 25 October.
It is called Western Sydney International Airport.
Unlike Sydney's older airport, it can operate 24 hours a day.
Who is involved?
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Western Sydney International Airport: The new airport, about 60 kilometres west of central Sydney.
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Anthony Albanese: Australia's Prime Minister, who officially opened the airport.
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Jetstar: An Australian airline owned by Qantas.
What happened?
The airport welcomed its first passengers on Sunday, 25 October.
Jetstar was due to fly the first passenger flight out, to the Gold Coast.
The Prime Minister said it is Australia's first major new airport in more than 50 years.
He said the opening was an important moment for Sydney.
What is the background?
Sydney's older airport is closer to the city centre.
Planes cannot take off or land there between 11 pm and 6 am.
The Australian Government bought the land for the new airport in the 1980s.
The airport took 15 years to plan and seven years to build.
It cost 5.6 billion Australian dollars.
Cargo flights began there in July 2026.
Cargo flights carry goods rather than passengers.
Why does it matter?
Western Sydney has a large and fast-growing population.
The new airport gives airlines another place to fly from, at any time of day or night.
What happens next?
The airport says it has room for more than 80 million passenger movements each year.
A passenger movement means one person arriving at or leaving an airport.
Source: Reuters, 25 October 2026