MEMBER FOR WERRIWA ANNE STANLEY: Good morning, and welcome to Western Sydney International Airport in Southwest Sydney. I am so excited to be able to welcome everybody here this morning. This is the culmination of so many years of work by so many people, particularly those who live in Western Sydney. We were remarking this morning, I remember when we first came here, and there were still cows out there, and in a couple of months we're going to be welcoming the first passengers to this place. So it is really wonderful to be here with my parliamentary colleagues, Dr. Mike Freelander, Mr Zhi Soon, David Moncrieff, but most importantly, Minister Catherine King, who has championed this and supported this so much over time. So, with that, can I introduce the Minister King.

MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CATHERINE KING: Thanks Anne. Good morning, everybody. Well, it is absolutely and utterly official. Our new 24/7 international airport will be open to passengers on October 25. It's terrific to be here with my colleagues, but also Vanessa Hudson from Qantas, who will talk to you shortly, as well as Simon Hickey, who's done such a magnificent job getting this airport up and running.

Well, the first set of passengers will have the opportunity at 11am on Sunday, the 25th of October to fly from Western Sydney to the Gold Coast, providing that opportunity to connect domestically, and I’m so proud that Jetstar will be the first flight out of this airport. We'll be seeing those flights to the Gold Coast on a regular basis, but also, we'll be seeing 14 flights a week to Melbourne from this airport, as well as flights to Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Of course, Qantas now joins Singapore Airlines who’ll be flying to Changi on a daily basis out of the airport, providing that connectivity to the world, as well as Air New Zealand flying, of course, to the magnificent New Zealand as well.

Today we're announcing, of course, also that freight flights will start on the 26th of July. This will be very much Australia's new gateway to the world when it comes to freight, moving Australian-grown produce from not only New South Wales, but other parts of the country, through this airport out to the world. It will work, of course, with the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal that we opened, another federally funded project, that we opened earlier this year. The airport has been a long time coming, 15 years in the planning, seven years in the building, one year in the testing, and we are well and truly ready to go. 26 July – freight from this curfew-free airport, very important to have that, to enable freight to be able to move effectively from this airport. But 25 October, those first passengers, what an exciting opportunity that is going to be for families of Western Sydney. You only get to be on the first flight out of this airport once, and so tickets are on sale, and I know that they'll be snapped up pretty quickly to provide that opportunity for families to get to the Gold Coast and other parts of Queensland as well.

This has been a huge investment and a huge amount of work, as I said, 15 years in planning, seven years in the building, a year in testing, and we are well and truly ready, ready to go for passengers on October 25. Thousands of workers have worked on this site. Thousands of jobs have been created in building this site, and thousands and thousands of hours have gone into the planning and preparation. I do want to particularly say thank you to Simon and the team, from the people who were involved in construction, right the way through to people who are now in the process of finalising all of the testing that goes into this airport.

This international airport will transform the way that Western Sydney operates. It's part of over $18 billion of investment over here in Western Sydney to really make sure that we're growing jobs. But, as the Prime Minister says, in the past the economy of New South Wales looked to the CBD for jobs, we're now looking to Western Sydney. It really is the economic powerhouse of the region. Can I then just say to Qantas CEO, to Vanessa; we're very, very proud that you are the first airline to be flying out of this airport. You were the first airline to sign on too, and show your commitment to Western Sydney International Airport, and we're really delighted that this long-term partnership, now with the airport, Qantas and Jetstar, has come into fruition with those very first passengers ready to fly on Sunday, 11am 25th of October, ready to go to the Gold Coast and Melbourne flights shortly to commence afterwards. With that, I'll hand over to Vanessa, and then Simon. Then we'll take questions. Thanks, Vanessa.

QANTAS CEO VANESSA HUDSON: Good morning, everybody. Thank you, Minister, for your leadership on the development of Western Sydney. And thank you, Simon, for your collaboration to be here today. We are absolutely delighted and excited to be announcing with Simon and the Minister today our first passenger services out of Western Sydney, starting with Jetstar on the 25th of October. We will be having 14 services from Western Sydney to Melbourne, and three to Brisbane, and four to Coolangatta. Being the first flight that leaves from Western Sydney, that Jetstar flight to Coolangatta is incredibly exciting for us, because Jetstar, across 22 years of serving the Australian public with affordable airfares, we've got a lot of experience in developing markets, but most importantly, and most proudly, is the role that Jetstar serves to bring affordable airfares to Western Sydney, which is such an important market for us. Such an important market for Jetstar.

But following fast behind that will be services for Qantas in March 2027 and that will be serving Melbourne, and also Brisbane, out of Western Sydney, connecting both premium leisure for Qantas, but most importantly business connections to the hubs of Melbourne and Brisbane. Both Qantas and Jetstar services are in addition to services that we provide to customers out of Mascot, the other airport for Sydney. So we're incredibly excited about this.

Both Qantas and Jetstar are on sale today with very special fares, $59 for Jetstar and $99 for Qantas, but also, as the Minister said, we will be starting freight services from Western Sydney in July. The freight investment that we are making in Western Sydney is incredibly important, not just for the freight market, but for the customers we serve, particularly in terms of the distribution infrastructure that is around the airport in Western Sydney. So, thank you for coming today, and we look forward to not just these first flights starting, but also the growth that we expect to see coming out of Western Sydney, and I'm now passing on to Simon.

CEO WESTERN SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL (NANCY-BIRD WALTON) AIRPORT SIMON HICKEY: Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Vanessa. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Anne. Mark your calendars, the countdown is officially on to welcoming our first passengers here at Western Sydney International Airport on the 25th of October. I echo the sentiments this morning. This is another great milestone moment for Sydney's new 24 hour gateway, Australia's business and leisure travellers will now enjoy more choice and flexibility along the nation's very popular eastern seaboard. Despite the global conflict that continues to challenge the industry, today is another vote of confidence in Western Sydney International Airport, and it’s a vote of confidence in the opportunities this rapidly growing region presents for the future air travel in Greater Sydney. This is a welcome addition to our opening services, with both airlines, Qantas and Jetstar, expected to grow over the years ahead, in line with growing demand. We're also thrilled to reveal the official opening date of our cargo precinct, the 26th of July, which will deliver a critical boost to Sydney's air cargo capacity. Qantas freight will help to ensure people get critical goods more efficiently, while supporting businesses to grow and reach new global markets. We're certainly on the home stretch. Testing continues each week. Final fit out works are happening in the terminal, and soon we'll have commercial jets landing for test flights as well. 25 October will be here before we know it. I can't wait to welcome our first passengers to their new airport. I'll take questions.

JOURNALIST: You've lived and breathed this, personally for you how significant is this?

HICKEY: So, not just for me, but over 10,000 people have worked at this airport. They've poured their heart and soul into achieving this. There's been millions of hours worked, and people who've worked at this airport. This is their legacy project. This is what they'll tell their grandkids. I worked on that airport. I helped open this airport. I think getting to this milestone on time and on budget is a really proud moment for all of those workers and for my team, but also for all of Western Sydney.

JOURNALIST: Only four airlines have committed to the new airport. What's the capacity this airport has? Are there more in the pipeline?

HICKEY: Certainly we always wanted to start with our launch airlines, which we've announced previously, and it's great to now be here announcing the dates in which they're flying, and they're on sale. We're built for 10 million annual passengers over the year, so, so that means that we have room to grow, and we are 24/7 so we have slots that can continue to grow. And so, in line with demand, we will continue to grow as an airport. As a greenfield airport, we're doing the right thing, we're doing the smart thing, which is we're first opening for cargo operations, and we're doing that so that we open the runway, we get those operations set up, and then we'll open the terminal, and then we'll continue to grow into the future in line with demand, remembering that more than 50% of Sydneysiders today live west of Parramatta, so actually this is really the heartland of Sydney, here in Western Sydney. It'll continue to grow and demand will continue to grow.

JOURNALIST: So, is that four airlines out of, say, 12 being capacity?

HICKEY: There's not a particular number, because then we can continue to grow and evolve as an airport. Actually, because we're a greenfield, we've been able to design efficient growth in the airport, so over the decades ahead, we've designed to grow to the size of Heathrow Airport, but that will be decades ahead, so we can continue to grow with the growing demand in Sydney, Western Sydney, and across Australia and the world.

JOURNALIST: There’s been a relaxing of air rights with the UAE. You haven’t had a phone call from Emirates, yet or Qatar to fly here?

HICKEY: We are talking to airlines all of the time, as you can imagine. I won't talk about any particular commercial discussions that we're in, but there's a lot of interest in the airport and in the future of the airport, but today we're here, and I'm really pleased to be announcing our partnership with Qantas and Jetstar as the first flights, and the opening of those passenger flights on October 25. That's a fantastic milestone, and that's what we're celebrating today.

JOURNALIST: In terms of the frequency of the flights. So, I mean, it's a fairly cautious approach, number of fights, isn't it? And you look at some instances four a week to these destinations?

HICKEY: So in combination there'll be flights all through the day and into the night, but what we wanted to do was, you know, when you're setting up a greenfield airport, what you've got is all the procedures, and everything you're doing is for the first time. So we really want to bed those in, and we'll be ready to welcome passengers, and we'll be really muscle fit. So we actually wanted to grow into that demand. And, of course, as a greenfield, people have got to know about the airport, they've got to make their way. It's actually very easy. There's so many ways to connect to this airport, and when people come to this airport, they're going to love it. They're going to love that experience, and so that will grow along with demand. And then airlines will grow along with them.

JOURNALIST: We know that there are going to be some delays to the Western Sydney Metro line. What other options, apart from rideshare, do new passengers have to get to the CBD or the beach?

HICKEY: There are so many ways to get to and from Western Sydney Airport. So, the first one is that there's a brand new motorway, the M12, toll-free, which connects to the M7 and so that's really our front door. The upgraded Northern Road also that goes around the airport, we've got the upgrades of Elizabeth Drive happening, so all of the road networks all surrounding this airport are actually going through upgrades. We'll have rideshare, we have rental cars, we have new bus services, and those bus services, five new bus services, are starting in July, and so they'll be available to all the connecting cities around this airport. And we will also have a free bus service that connects to St Mary's whilst the metro is completed. Plenty of ways to get to and from the airport.

JOURNALIST: Is your expectation now that Metro won't be up and running until 2028?

HICKEY: So I don't have an expectation. What I'm doing is we're working on ensuring there is great connectivity to and from the airport. I believe that the Metro will be available soon, but in the meantime, what we've got is a free bus service that connects people on a very regular basis, and depending on demand, we can increase the number of buses that are available on that route, so people will easily be able to get via public transport and reasonably priced public transport, including a free bus service to get to and from here.

JOURNALIST: Perhaps the Minister could weigh in on the Metro delays around contractual details being an issue there, do you have anything to say about that?

KING: Those are being managed, obviously, by the New South Wales Government, who is delivering the project. But what I would say, as Simon has said, is that there will be plenty of connectivity to this airport from day one. And that's not just for passengers, but it's also really important for the workforce that are here as well. So providing that opportunity, obviously plenty of plenty of parking here, toll-free roads that have been put in place like the M12 just recently that will also be important for the freight as well, but that rapid bus interaction here at the airport, the New South Wales Government has been working really hard to ensure that that is up and running, particularly for the workforce here. And then, when you've got Metro – you know, it's pretty unusual – I’d have to say, from my home state of Victoria, to have now both your airports having that capacity to be connected by rail, we envy you a bit in Victoria. We have yet to get a rail connection to Melbourne Airport, we're working on it and working on it pretty hard, but this will be an important part of the ongoing future of Western Sydney to have that metro connection.

JOURNALIST: And just to confirm that M7 and M12 connection, will that be open by the time…?

KING: That's my understanding is that that will be, and again, that's really both important for both passengers, for workers at the airport.

JOURNALIST: In terms of the Qantas flights per se, being in March rather than straight away. Why the delay?

HUDSON: I think a couple of things. First and foremost, 60% of Qantas passengers are business purpose travellers, both large corporate, but also small to medium sized businesses, and one of the things, if you look at the seasonality of Qantas, December, January, February are the months when those business travellers are on holidays, and so March is the right month for us to really set these services up for success, and I'm confident that from that point, as we see demand grow, we will grow that service to match.

JOURNALIST: We asked earlier about the frequency; it does seem to be fairly cautious. Are you dipping your toe?

HUDSON: No, not at all. But I do think that our focus is that we want to see this as a huge success. Starting from the position that we've announced today is the right thing to stimulate demand to set up our operations properly, and as I said, Qantas is undertaking its biggest fleet renewal in our history, so we've got lots of flexibility to add additional aircraft, more frequency, bigger aircraft, and we expect demand will grow, and when we see that, we'll put more frequency in.

JOURNALIST: Has the war in Iran changed any of the rollouts here in Western Sydney, or reduced that kind of timetable at all?

HUDSON: No, not at all. I mean, obviously, the war in Iran is having an impact on the price of fuel, that's impacting both Jetstar and Qantas, but as I said before, the schedules that we've announced today for Jetstar, starting in October and Qantas in March, is really focused on the markets and the customer segments that we serve, and making sure that that capacity comes on at the right time.

JOURNALIST: The launch prices, the ticket prices are great, fantastic, but what do you think beyond that?

HUDSON: Well, I think if you, if you reflect on the history of Jetstar over 22 years, Jetstar is known for delivering low fares and affordable fares for travellers, and also Qantas, over a 12 month period, are providing value for money all the time through frequent sales, through access to redemption seats, and we will continue to do that, both here in Western Sydney, but across all of our network, and we do that every year.

JOURNALIST: Will you be pitching quite deliberately beneath Sydney Airport?

HUDSON: Look, I think that it's going to be based on the market and the customer in the segments that we serve, so there's no specific pricing strategy relative to Sydney, but we know that demand fluctuates over different seasons and different times of the year, and our pricing will reflect that.

JOURNALIST: Just on the airport, did the airport actually offer any incentives for Qantas to get started to fly?

HUDSON: I'm not going to go into the commercial structure, but we are incredibly pleased with the collaboration that we've had with Western Sydney. We know it strikes the right balance, both for the Qantas group, but also for the airport as well.

JOURNALIST: And has the lack of availability of Metro from the beginning had any effect?

HUDSON: No, not at all. And I reflect what the Minister and Simon said. There are many airports that we travel to that don't have rail connections, and the options now with rideshare, taxi, bus, and road, that should be no impact.

JOURNALIST: Does the late start to Qantas flying here, does that reflect that leisure passengers will make up for the vast majority of people who pass through this?

HUDSON: Well, absolutely. I mean, 95% of Jetstar passengers are for leisure, and the Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Melbourne are big leisure destinations, and for Qantas, we do provide a large portion of leisure, but the disproportionate share Qantas customer is business purpose,

JOURNALIST: We know that some Jetstar regional flights have been scaled back, especially since the war in Iran over winter. How do you balance those regional needs with promoting more Sydney-based movement?

HUDSON: Look, I think that, as you know, we will invest here in Western Sydney, not just on the network we've announced today, but we will over time be investing in new services to Perth, to other destinations, and that's going to be something that our team focuses on all the time, and as you say, the backdrop of the current environment and the demand environment, Jetstar has made the hard decision on certain routes, given the performance, and that's a normal part of how an airline operates, and so we are incredibly excited about what Western Sydney is going to unlock for this route too.

JOURNALIST: So, you're not viewing this airport in particular as the budget option?

HUDSON: Absolutely not. No, I think that the customers that are already coming online to both premium, and we're incredibly proud of the role that Jetstar is going to play in unlocking affordable travel, and Jetstar has done that for 22 years, and it is something that we will continue to make sure that the Qantas group focuses on.

KING: Thanks, everyone. Thank you.