WESTERN Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) is officially open for freight operations, an announcement welcomed by industry and political figures.
At the time of writing, a Qantas plane full of AusPost parcels was set to be the first freight plane to take off late on Monday night.
Senior politicians and freight sector figures travelled to the airport on Monday for an official event.
WSI’s cargo precinct is to be used by Qantas Freight, Menzies Aviation, dnata Cargo, dnata Catering & Retail and Texel Air.
WSI chief executive Simon Hickey said WSI’s cargo hub would create opportunities for Greater Sydney’s businesses, workers, and broader supply chains.
“Air freight underpins many of NSW’s highest-value industries including fresh meat and seafood, pharmaceuticals, agricultural exports, electronics, advanced manufacturing and more,” he said.
“These industries rely on rapid international connections that can only be serviced by air freight, with our 24-hour Cargo Precinct initially capable of moving about a quarter of a million tonnes of freight per year, which is a massive boost to Sydney’s overall air cargo capacity.
“This means that a fish caught in Forster can be served fresh at a restaurant in Singapore the next day, or that patients in the Pacific will benefit from access to critical but perishable medicines.”
Western Sydney International Airport’s freight operations are to be joined by regular passenger services from 25 October this year.
Federal infrastructure minister Catherine King said "testing at the freight precinct is now complete, and now WSIA is operational and welcoming freight flights".
“It’s exciting progress as we gear up to seeing passenger flights commence on October 25,” Ms King said.
FTA director and APSA secretariat Paul Zalai said Monday was “a landmark day for Australia’s freight and aviation sectors”.
“Western Sydney International Airport has been decades in the making, and its opening represents a long-overdue expansion of Sydney’s air cargo infrastructure to support a city, economy and freight task that have grown enormously over that time.” Mr Zalai said.
“The new 24-hour Cargo Precinct will provide much-needed additional capacity, genuine operating flexibility and greater choice in how time-sensitive goods are moved into, out of and across Australia.
“Its proximity to Western Sydney’s major logistics and industrial centres, supported by dedicated road connections, should also deliver important efficiencies throughout the supply chain.”
Manager border and biosecurity for the International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia, Brad Leonard, said he saw Western Sydney International as “potentially one of the most significant developments for Australia's air freight sector in many years”.
“Being a modern, purpose-built cargo facility, the new airport has the potential to deliver operational efficiencies and help accommodate future growth in international freight movements and offers one of the key benefits to IFCBAA members and their exporting clients - that is choice,” Mr Leonard said.
“IFCBAA members and by extension our clients, will benefit from greater flexibility in flight scheduling due to WSI's 24-hour, curfew-free operations, which is expected to improve supply chain efficiency by allowing freight to move outside traditional operating hours, similar to the benefits we’ve seen from moving containers in and out of seaports.
“This provides greater flexibility for exporters of time-sensitive commodities such as seafood, dairy and other perishables, while enabling freight forwarders to better align export shipments with airline schedules and international connections.”
Industry minister Tim Ayres said Western Sydney Airport gave freight and logistics operators crucial round-the-clock capacity.
“Combined with the Aerotropolis, it will mean manufacturers and exporters can move goods from factory floors to aircrafts in hours, not days - creating faster, more resilient supply chains and helping Australian businesses to compete in global markets,” Senator Ayres said.
“This is how we build industrial capability, attract investment and cement Western Sydney as a major hub for industry, logistics and advanced manufacturing.”