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Western Sydney business leaders and advocates have called on the government to provide more support to WSI as it prepares to open next year.
In a new report, the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue (WSLD) called for a “more ambitious, multi‑year package” to bolster connectivity at the airport on top of the existing $16 million Western Sydney International Take-Off Fund, saying other airports have received far more funding.
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“Increasing financial support with a longer five-year funding guarantee would give the best possible start for the airport’s launch, providing a strong fiscal base to attract international carriers to Western Sydney and help ensure stability for the fledgling airport,” the report read.
The WSLD suggested this could include “a suite of incentives commonly used in other international markets”, such as waived landing fees, concessions on terminal rent, cooperative marketing funds, and destination promotion support.
“These tools help reduce early-stage risk for airlines and make new routes more commercially viable,” the report read.
“Since 2020, many Australian state governments have invested generously to attract airlines to their airports post-COVID.
“Queensland has invested $100 million to support Brisbane and Gold Coast airports, NSW has invested $60 million into Sydney Airport, and Western Australia has spent $75 million.
“All of these airline attraction funds were matched by the private sector, meaning the money outlaid to attract airlines to Sydney Airport, for example, was in excess of $100 million. WSI needs the resources to compete with other domestic airports.”
David Borger, executive director of Business Western Sydney, said that WSI, with the right incentives and reduction in “red tape”, could “transform Western Sydney into a global gateway”.
“It’s good the government has started the airline attraction fund, but we need to go further. The fund helps subsidise development of new routes. We’ve invested $25 billion in this airport, now let’s make sure we maximise passengers and visitors,” he said.
“London, New York and Tokyo run multiple airports successfully – so can Sydney. The Western Sydney visitor economy is worth $4.2 billion, attracting over half a million international visitors a year. We should aim to grow this to $10 billion by 2035.
“We currently have 113 hotels in Western Sydney, and demand is running hot. It’s time we slashed the planning red tape and do everything we can to build more hotels quickly.”
Speaking at the 2025 Aerotropolis Conference in Sydney on Wednesday, Transport Minister Catherine King said WSI has seen “genuine interest from carriers across the board”.
“QantasLink and Jetstar have signed up for domestic services, while Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand will bring international connectivity,” she said.
“Through our Aviation White Paper, we’ve increased international air rights, which is one of the key levers we have to improve competition. And that’s what we’ve done – we’ve signed a record number of air service agreements during our first term.
“We’re also working with the NSW Government through the Western Sydney Take Off Fund, which provides direct incentives for international airlines to fly into the airport.”
On Wednesday, the NSW government also launched its $12.5 million NSW Take Off Fund, aiming to attract airlines more broadly into the state.
