Western Sydney's new airport opens on Sunday. Getting there and flying with a disability

For years, a holiday from Penrith started with a long trip across Sydney to Mascot. From Sunday, there's another option. Western Sydney International at Badgerys Creek opens to passengers on 25 October, and the first flight, a Jetstar A320 to the Gold Coast, leaves at 11am.

A new airport is a good chance to plan things your way from the start. A few things are worth knowing before you book.

Who flies from there

Jetstar starts on opening day with flights to Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Air New Zealand begins flights to Auckland on 26 October, and Singapore Airlines starts daily flights to Singapore on 23 November. Qantas follows from 28 March 2027 with flights to Brisbane and Melbourne.

Getting there without a train

The airport's metro line isn't open yet. In June, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it may not open until 2028. For now, Transport for NSW says the airport is reached by bus or taxi.

The bus option is better than you might expect. The WSI Link runs from St Marys Station to the airport every 30 minutes, from about 4.30am until midnight Sunday to Thursday, and until about 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. It's free, and Transport for NSW says all the buses are wheelchair accessible. You're still asked to tap on and off with an Opal card or bank card so they can count passengers.

Five other routes also run to the airport every 30 minutes, from about 5am to 10pm, seven days a week:

• 790 from Penrith, via Nepean Hospital and Kingswood
• 772 from Mount Druitt, via St Clair
• 825 from Liverpool, via Bonnyrigg
• 860 from Liverpool, via Leppington
• 845 from Campbelltown, via Oran Park

Allow extra time for your first trip. Everyone, bus drivers included, is still learning a brand new terminal.

If a taxi suits you better

If you have a severe, permanent disability that stops you using public transport, the NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme pays up to half your taxi fare, up to $60 a trip. If you always need a wheelchair to get around, you can be approved to travel in a wheelchair accessible taxi. It isn't means-tested, so check the eligibility rules even if you've assumed you wouldn't qualify. The scheme's number is 131 500.

If you use NDIS funding for transport, ask your plan manager or support coordinator how an airport trip fits your plan before you book. Plans differ, and it's better to know than to guess.

Setting up help for the flight

Airlines ask you to request assistance when you book, not on the day. Jetstar, for example, says to request the specific assistance you need at booking, and to check it can provide that help before you pay. It also has a checklist for Australian and New Zealand flights that you can fill in and bring to the airport, so staff understand what you need. Its contact centre runs 24 hours a day on 131 538.

If you travel with a powered wheelchair or scooter, raise it when you book. Each airline has its own rules for mobility aids and their batteries, and they're worth reading well before the day.

The federal government encourages airlines and airports to publish a Disability Access Facilitation Plan. These plans set out how an operator handles mobility aids, assistance animals and direct help, ideally covering everything from booking to arrival. The Department of Infrastructure keeps a list of them. A brand new airport may not have one up yet, so if you can't find what you need, ring the airport or airline and ask about the terminal layout, accessible toilets and where you'll be dropped off.

If something goes wrong

Start with the airline or airport, and keep notes and names. When we checked in October 2026, the federal government's page said a new Aviation Consumer Ombuds Scheme for complaints about airlines and airports was expected to start in 2026. Until it does, it says to keep using the existing complaint channels.

A closer airport is a big deal out west

Going on holiday can involve more planning than the holiday itself, and a shorter trip to the airport takes some of the load off. If getting around Western Sydney is a regular headache, our piece on why transport is still one of the hardest parts of the NDIS covers the bigger picture, and booking NDIS transport without a week's notice covers the day-to-day.

Zoomly is based in Penrith, so this one is close to home for us too.

Where this comes from

• Prime Minister of Australia: It's official, Western Sydney to open for passengers 25 October
• ABC News: Opening date for passengers at Western Sydney International Airport announced
• Transport for NSW: WSI Link
• Transport for NSW: Getting to and from Western Sydney International Airport
• Transport for NSW: Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme
• Jetstar: Specific assistance
• Department of Infrastructure: Disability Access Facilitation Plans
• Department of Infrastructure: The Aviation Consumer Ombuds Scheme