A milestone moment decades in the making
Decades of planning, thousands of workers and more than 22 million work hours have led to another milestone moment for Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) this week as the first Boeing 737 touched down on our 3.7km runway.
The RFS ‘Marie Bashir’ Large Air Tanker 737 was met with rapturous community applause upon arrival to Sydney’s soon-to-open 24-hour gateway and marked the start of WSI’s largest ever multiagency emergency exercise.
Testing emergency response readiness
The 737 played an important role in our staged simulation that saw about 300 volunteers, NSW Police and other emergency services and federal agency partners descend on our freshly minted airfield where they were put through their paces to ensure we’re fully prepared to respond in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Live trials and operational testing
The 737 landing is the first of many. The Boeing 737 is the most common aircraft in Australian skies and will be coming in for landing more frequently at Sydney’s new domestic, international and cargo airport when we begin welcoming our first commercial customers in the second half of 2026.
With major construction complete, domestic and international airlines signed and more talks with other airlines underway, our opening day preparations are now shifting to focus on operational readiness and live trials, with exercises providing opportunities to train staff and test systems.
This includes dozens of technology systems that will give customers a simple, seamless, and stress-free experience, all while taking in the architecture of our beautiful airport terminal that pays homage to First Nations communities and the nearby Blue Mountains.
Countdown to 24-hour operations in 2026
The arrival of the first Boeing 737 represents a significant milestone on the journey to becoming Australia's newest 24-hour airport. WSI's operational readiness program will continue throughout 2025 and 2026, ensuring all systems, staff and airport partners are ready and raring to go ahead of opening.
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