WSI for Western Sydney Airport

[kamchatsky]

If the WSI passenger volumes can reach to ADL level in the first 2 years, it would be considered successful. WSI is never meant to fully replace SYD anyway. Looking at the ADL route map, I think WSI can have that many routes in the first 2 years.



What I do want to see is Metro Northwest extended from Tallawong to St Marys, so that all the residents in the northwest can go to WSI much easier. But that would be 15 years away at least. Of course, the even longer term of extending Metro West from Westmead to WSI, that would be another 25 years.

 

[elanshin]

Wont affect mine as it is far far cheaper to commute to/from SYD, so I can not see a situation where Id ever choose to use WSI. but it is imo misusing tax payer money which would be better invested elsewhere.

Noting none of my super is invested in WSI (why invest in something that will not be very successful).

The increased freight operations efficiency and investments in that area should alone would be solid RoI for not just Sydney but this whole country with the freight volumes that go through the logistics hubs right next door to WSI.

 

[kamchatsky]

No it will be a failure due to very inconvenient location which has a very misleading name; given it isn't in (or anywhere near) the city of Sydney.

When Avalon launched some airlines sneakily included it when you searched for MEL and lots of people got a rude shock to disembark from their cheap flight only to find they were a very expensive taxi / uber rom Melbourne; which totally negated their cheap airfare and then some.

We will see similar confusion and complaints when WSI opens.

What is your definition of "failure" though? Is it by passenger or cargo volumes? I think your bar may be setting too high for WSI.

 

[jase05]

The increased freight operations efficiency and investments in that area should alone would be solid RoI for not just Sydney but this whole country with the freight volumes that go through the logistics hubs right next door to WSI.

This is the most important part that many are missing. This is an absolute game changer for the freight industry

 

[torks]

Just look at BA as an example of how an airline bases itself out of 3 (Maybe 4 these days with seasonal services from Stansted) London airports. Vast majority of flights from Heathrow, some short European business focused flights from city, which mostly compliment/duplicate what is on offer from Heathrow, plus then leisure orientated flights from Gatwick, which also compliment/duplicate what is on offer at Heathrow.

Like Sydney, Heathrow is slot constrained and on a much bigger basis, however you don't see them only serving destinations from one airport.

 

[Lynda2475]

A bit misleading as half of Greater sydney's population is in "Greater Western Sydney" and closer to WSI

Not at all, even Paramatta is closer to SYD than WSI. Inner West, East, Inner South and Lowe North Shore are all very densely populated with higher incomes. Then add in less affluent areas like Rhodes, Bankstown etc still much closer to SYD.

Even areas outside of Sydney like Central Coast and Newcastle are going to get to SYD much easier and quicker than WSI.

I see no evidence of half of Sydney living closer to WSI than SYD.

 

[Quickstatus]

Inner West, East, Inner South and Lowe North Shore

You keep referring to these suburbs as though thats the extent of Greater Sydney.

 

[p--and--t]

If the WSI passenger volumes can reach to ADL level in the first 2 years, it would be considered successful. WSI is never meant to fully replace SYD anyway. Looking at the ADL route map, I think WSI can have that many routes in the first 2 years.

View attachment 409266

What I do want to see is Metro Northwest extended from Tallawong to St Marys, so that all the residents in the northwest can go to WSI much easier. But that would be 15 years away at least. Of course, the even longer term of extending Metro West from Westmead to WSI, that would be another 25 years.

Tullamarine is 50yrs old and still no train connection snd wont be for a few years yet. That hasn't resulted in MEL being a white elephant as some others are mistakenly predicting for WSI.

Besides the obvious freight operations, I believe I read somewhere both QF and JQ have already committed a significant number of passenger aircraft to be home based at WSI well before it is open for use.

 

[Lynda2475]

You keep referring to these suburbs as though thats the extent of Greater Sydney

Those are areas of Sydney not individual suburbs, something a local would know.

 

[elanshin]

Reposting since it seems lost in chatter but first plane touched down today at WSI.

First plane lands at Australia's new international airport

An aircraft landed on the tarmac, successfully completing a series of test runs ahead of the introduction of larger passenger planes scheduled to begin using the runway two years from now.

www.abc.net.au

 

[kamchatsky]

Tullamarine is 50yrs old and still no train connection snd wont be for a few years yet. That hasn't resulted in MEL being a white elephant as some others are mistakenly predicting for WSI.

Besides the obvious freight operations, I believe I read somewhere both QF and JQ have already committed a significant number of passenger aircraft to be home based at WSI well before it is open for use.

Well Melbournians do not really have much of a choice when it comes to international travel. Whereas WSI needs to compete with SYD which is in general more convenient for a large group of people.

 

[SYD]

Reposting since it seems lost in chatter but first plane touched down today at WSI.

First plane lands at Australia's new international airport

An aircraft landed on the tarmac, successfully completing a series of test runs ahead of the introduction of larger passenger planes scheduled to begin using the runway two years from now.

www.abc.net.au

Yep, as was my reiteration (in an earlier post) that the “construction” phase is all but complete but we still have 2 years of testing and commissioning before commercial PAX ops commence. That does seem like a very long time but they’ve only just signed the contract for the “digital” control tower. First of it’s kind in Oz.

 

[docjames]

Hopefully the testing and commissioning phase goes better than it did in BER……


It will be interesting given the existing freight infrastructure at SYD but downscaling that (ie. the dedicated cargo) allowing both more movements for pax flights, as well allowing possible as international terminal expansion will be interesting to watch. Given the number of long haul flights, there will still be significant freight handling demand at SYD.

I note a poster earlier works in freight - is there publicly shareable info about how the major freight forwarders are expected to use WSI? Will it be additive to SYD or substitutive? You alluded to significant growth expected but what are the implications of SYD.

On a similar angle, I’m sure they aren’t publicly singing out the freight aspect as they won’t want passengers to perceive it as a “freight airport” and somehow “lesser” than SYD.

 

[jase05]

I note a poster earlier works in freight - is there publicly shareable info about how the major freight forwarders are expected to use WSI? Will it be additive to SYD or substitutive? You alluded to significant growth expected but what are the implications of SYD.

I don’t know about other companies but for us we will still need a facility and some operations out of SYD but the bulk of our operations will move out to WSI. The dedicated freight flights will all move out to WSI but >80% of QF and JQ daily pax flights around Australia carry our freight so will still need to maintain a presence at SYD to handle that plus the International flights carrying freight
SYD currently is a huge thorn in our side in preventing growth thanks to curfew and having the most delays and cancellations due to weather.

 

[SYD]

SYD currently is a huge thorn in our side in preventing growth thanks to curfew and having the most delays and cancellations due to weather.

and correct me if I’m wrong, even those dedicated big freight jets come and go late at night or other off peak times (much to the joy of inner west residence). Moving all that to WSI with cheaper / 24 hr ops ought to see air freight grow and hopefully cheaper.

Oz Post has already moved their main warehouse out that way to a place I’d never heard of until I saw a notice about some QF Wine heading in the opposite direction to me!

Meanwhile, yes freeing up some space at SYD T1 is a good thing. Combine that with some healthy competition between SYD and WSI for international PAX, we might actually see a win win for airlines and PAX (cheaper fares - lower fees and more planes overall).

 

[Quickstatus]

Those are areas of Sydney not individual suburbs

Regardless those "areas" you mentioned are (again) not the extent of Greater Sydney.
Additionally "Wealth" really has nothing to do with airline seat demand. In fact airline travel has never been more egalitarian even though the snob effect still persists. The explosion in airline travel is mostly attributed to the middle class

 

[moa999]

The dedicated freight flights will all move out to WSI but >80% of QF and JQ daily pax flights around Australia carry our freight so will still need to maintain a presence at SYD to handle that plus the International flights carrying freight

So does that include the curfew busting 146s.. or are they likely to be retired with the move to WSI.

 

[jase05]

So does that include the curfew busting 146s.. or are they likely to be retired with the move to WSI.

They are being retired but not nearly fast enough and as it stands they will still be in use when WSI opens. But yes they will all head out to WSI

 

[TomVexille]

and correct me if I’m wrong, even those dedicated big freight jets come and go late at night or other off peak times (much to the joy of inner west residence). Moving all that to WSI with cheaper / 24 hr ops ought to see air freight grow and hopefully cheaper.

Oz Post has already moved their main warehouse out that way to a place I’d never heard of until I saw a notice about some QF Wine heading in the opposite direction to me!

Meanwhile, yes freeing up some space at SYD T1 is a good thing. Combine that with some healthy competition between SYD and WSI for international PAX, we might actually see a win win for airlines and PAX (cheaper fares - lower fees and more planes overall).

I think there are some key takeaways here that some posters who seem to want WSI to fail are failing to grasp. WSI succeeding should make SYD better.

 

[Quickstatus]

WSI succeeding should make SYD better.

There are major cities with 2 vibrant international airports . The point is that each airport does not need to completely duplicate the other.