Huge fare gap revealed between Sydney's two airports

Some travellers could pay half as much by flying through Sydney's new airport. But aviation experts warn the bargain fares may not be here forever.

Australia is about to get its first new major public airport in 56 years and the project is set to pack quite a punch.

Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport will open to passengers on October 25, giving Aussies the choice of dozens more flights every week on popular travel routes.

Money compared fares from WSI and Sydney Airport and found some flights were up to 50% cheaper through the new airport, which opens on October 25.

The findings suggest the airport could put pressure on airfares by giving travellers more choice and boosting competition among airlines.

The 24-hour facility is also expected to spur on hundreds of new commercial and transport projects in the local area, worth $46 billion in total.

While businesses and governments make these investments, the airport is also expected to boost the local population by 26% over the next 15 years.

What flights are available?

You can already book flights to and from WSI, with Jetstar set to operate services from day one and Air New Zealand starting flights to Auckland the day after.

When Qantas joins the domestic roster from March next year, it and Jetstar will be adding dozens more flights every week between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's busiest air route.

International services will include flights to Singapore, Fiji and Vietnam, but some of these aren't scheduled to start until March 2027.

Will Western Sydney flights be cheaper?

Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says our domestic aviation market is "highly concentrated," dominated by Qantas and Virgin Australia.

It's no surprise, then, that the regulator has welcomed WSI as offering more choice and competition to Aussie travellers.

This should lead to lower prices and the new airport appears to already have had an impact here.

Money used airline websites to compare the cost of flights to and from WSI with those going via Sydney's existing Kingsford Smith (SYD) airport.

We looked for the cheapest flights available between Sydney's new airport and various destinations on a given day.

We then compared these with the best offers for the same routes on the same day going via SYD.

Most Qantas flights to Melbourne and Brisbane cost the same, irrespective of which airport we chose, although in one case a flight to Melbourne from WSI was 12% cheaper.

Jetstar services were usually cheaper through WSI, especially flights to or from the Gold Coast.

On the day we checked, the airline's best offers via WSI were 30% cheaper than those going through SYD.

Most international prices were similar at either airport, but some Singapore Airlines flights were much cheaper at WSI on certain days.

On one day, travellers from Singapore could pay half as much to get to Sydney if they elected to land at WSI, rather than SYD.

But it's worth noting that WSI is located further from Sydney's CBD than Kingsford Smith and will have many fewer transport connections when it first opens.

Therefore, it's worth considering convenience and the cost of getting into and out of the new airport before jumping on these deals.

How long will these prices last?

"I wouldn't straight away assume that this [price] difference is going to be permanent," clarifies Dr Bojana Spasojevic, senior lecturer in aviation management at Griffith University.

"Airlines commonly use this strategy of introductory fares to stimulate demand and to encourage passengers to try a new airport... sometimes an airport would even initially waive charges [it puts on airlines]".

Will it give us greater choice of airlines?

Experts like Spasojevic say WSI could lead to cheaper tickets in the long term if it helps rival airlines get established in Australia and compete with Qantas and Virgin on price.

Attempts to start new domestic carriers have fallen short in recent years, with budget upstart Bonza going into administration in 2024 after only one year in operation.

"Kingsford Smith is heavily congested, with no take-off and landing slots left for newcomers," explains Dr Mirjam Wiedemann, an aviation expert and consultant.

"With WSI opening, it may free up some slots at Kingsford Smith, but there are now definitely slots available at WSI for airlines who want to fly to Sydney".

"It could mean new airlines get established in Australia as it opens the lucrative Sydney market. However, other cost drivers and barriers to entry remain for these new airlines [to get established] in Australia".

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