After years of wait, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport’s (WSI) Cargo Precinct trial flights have begun, with the first cargo flight touching down on 13 July ahead of the hub’s formal opening and inaugural commercial services later in the month.
The Qantas A321 freighter touched down at around 2pm on Monday, marking a major milestone ahead of the airport’s Cargo Precinct formal opening on July 26.
The precinct is set to “substantially enhance” Sydney’s air freight capacity and aims to support the movement of 220,000 tonnes of freight annually.
Western Sydney International chief executive Simon Hickey said these trial flights marked the final stages of the airport’s operational readiness programme as it prepares for the opening of its 24-hour, state-of-the-art cargo hub.
Trial flights will be run over the following two weeks as the airport makes its final preparations for commercial freight services.
“Today we’ll welcome a Qantas A321 freighter to WSI as we continue to ramp up operational preparations and really bring this airport to life,” he said.
Many aviation fanatics spectated outside the airport gates, celebrating with a round of applause.
New South Wales’ Acting minister for transport Kristy McBain welcomed Qantas Freight’s first trial flight to the new airport.
“This is the largest plane to land at Western Sydney International Airport so far, as we get ready to open for freight services,” she said.
“The new airport will connect Western Sydney to the world, allowing us to move produce and goods from every corner of the state to new markets across the globe.”
Qantas Cargo aircraft will be joined by other partners at WSI’s Cargo Precinct including Menzies Aviation, dnata Cargo and Texel Air.
Expectedly, the Cargo Precinct will substantially enhance Sydney’s air cargo capacity, supporting a diverse range of goods and facilitating the movement of up to 220,000 tonnes of freight annually.
In another development, a Private credit firm Malka APAC is suing over what it claims are$13.6m in unpaid fees after allegedly being cut out of a $700m Western Sydney Airport land financing deal.
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