Australia's newest airport has capacity to grow as large as London's Heathrow, but will open its doors by dipping its toe in the water.
Western Sydney International Airport's inaugural passenger flight will take off on October 25, with executives pledging to help ease demand on some of Australia's busiest domestic routes.
Just 21 domestic services will operate from the facility each week when it opens, via Jetstar flights to Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast.
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Qantas will not begin flying to and from the airport until March 2027, when eight departures a week will be added to the rotation.
WSI chief executive Simon Hickey said services announced on Wednesday were a starting point, with availability set to grow and provide customers more choice.
"We can continue to grow and evolve as an airport, because we're a greenfield we've been able to design for efficient growth in the airport," he told reporters.
"We're designed to grow to the size of Heathrow Airport, but that will be decades ahead."
The airport will be able to handle about 10 million passengers a year when it opens, but has planned to eventually expand and cater to 82 million.
Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long conceded it was a relatively tiny initial offering.
"But (the routes) link to some genuine holiday hotspots and mark the beginning of what WSI will grow into," he said.
"More flights always means more options for travellers ... WSI is a transformative addition to Australia's travel landscape."
The first flight out of Sydney's second airport will be a Jetstar service to the Gold Coast at 11am on October 25.
Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson, whose group also owns Jetstar, said it was a major moment for Australian aviation.
"Jetstar has an incredible history of growing new markets and being the first airline to launch will give one of the country's fastest growing regions better access to low fares to some of our most popular destinations," she said.
Two international routes - Auckland and Changi - had previously been announced.
The airport, about 45km west of Sydney's CBD, was finally approved in 2017 after decades of discussion around a second airport began in the 1980s.
A connecting metro line is scheduled to open in 2027, which federal Transport Minister Catherine King, who lives in Victoria, said was a "pretty unusual" perk.
"To have both your airports having capacity to be connected by rail ... we envy you a bit in Victoria. We are yet to get a rail connection to Melbourne Airport," she said.
The airport will operate 24 hours a day, in contrast to Sydney Airport, which is subject to a curfew from 11pm to 6am.
That is a boost for the airport's freight flights, which start on July 27.
