西悉尼国际机场(Western Sydney International,位于悉尼中央商务区以西约44公里)的首班航班定于本周日起飞。该机场将全天24小时运营,不同于设有夜间宵禁的悉尼金斯福德·史密斯机场。Jetstar(捷星航空)将执飞首航航班,此后多家国际和国内航空公司将陆续跟进。航空专家Salim Hijazeen预计,起初航线数量较少,随着需求增长,航班服务将逐步扩大。旅游专家Harry Deacon警告称,由于目前尚无铁路连接,市中心居民前往该机场的交通费用可能较高。
The first flight out of the new Western Sydney International airport is set to take off this Sunday. The airport, about 44 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD, will run 24 hours a day, unlike Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which has night curfews. Jetstar will operate the opening flight, and several international and domestic airlines will follow. Aviation expert Salim Hijazeen expects fewer routes at first, with services growing as demand builds. Travel expert Harry Deacon warned that travel costs to the airport could be high for inner-city residents, as there is no rail link yet.
澳大利亚偏远地区的航班正在减少,原因是航空燃油价格大幅上涨。Virgin Australia(维珍澳大利亚航空)首席客户官Andrew Cleary在参议院调查听证会上表示,燃油成本上升已使部分区域航线无法盈利。该航空公司已取消包括乌鲁鲁至布里斯班、乌鲁鲁至墨尔本在内的多条航线,以及多条从阿德莱德出发的航线。Airlines for Australia and New Zealand(澳新航空协会)首席执行官Stephen Beckett表示,通往区域中心城市的小客流航线最先受到冲击。他还表示,各大机场如同垄断者,这推高了航空公司和乘客的成本。