A new addition to Sydney Airport’s airline roster. The Mascot airport operates under a nightly curfew. Photo: supplied
The NSW Government is to spend $12.5 million on a new fund dedicated to attracting more flights as Newcastle gears up to become the state’s second international airport.
The government says its Take Off Fund is intended to boost airline seating capacity by 8.5 million seats as part of its 2025-26 Budget.
The funding will provide financial and marketing support for international and domestic carriers that launch or expand services to NSW.
Tourism Minister Steve Kamper says to grow the tourism economy means increasing airline capacity and unlocking new overseas markets.
“In the last year alone, we’ve helped secure new routes from Auckland (New Zealand) to Western Sydney, from Denpasar (Bali) to Newcastle and from Istanbul (Türkiye) and Shanghai (China) to Sydney.”
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton predicts more overseas visitors to NSW due to the decision.
“Every dollar invested into aviation at Sydney Airport generates a $9 return; a typical international service supports 1200 full-time jobs and delivers $130m annually.”
Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) CEO Simon Hickey says they are talking to more airlines each week about using their 24-hour airport.
Newcastle Airport is about to host international flights and its CEO, Linc Horton, says they will work to attract more flights with their overseas terminal due to open in August.
The government says a series of targeted aviation schemes have already delivered more than 25,000 jobs, of which 15,000 were direct jobs.
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NSW currently has one international airport but will have three by the end of next year.
Sydney Airport has locked in new routes to Istanbul (via Turkish Airlines) and Shanghai (via Juneyao Air) and boosted capacity on routes to India, South Korea and Southeast Asia.
WSI last month confirmed that Air New Zealand will fly to WSI from Auckland in mid-2027, joining Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Jetstar.
Newcastle Airport has secured new routes to Perth (Qantas) and Denpasar (Jetstar).
