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Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will see its first jet landing at the end of the month as part of an emergency response test.
The NSW Rural Fire Service’s (RFS) 737 Large Air Tanker, N138CG “Marie Bashir”, will take part in a multi-agency, full-scale aerodrome emergency exercise on 28 and 29 October, including a simulated aircraft incident, as WSI prepares to open late next year.
The airport’s operational staff, alongside 300 volunteers and emergency services partners from the RFS, NSW Police Force, and Fire and Rescue NSW, plus federal agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and Airservices Australia, will take part in the exercise.
“This will be the most significant emergency exercise WSI has conducted to date and is critical in ensuring that we’re fully prepared to respond safely and efficiently in the unlikely event of an emergency,” he said.
“While the exercise will be invaluable in putting our operational staff and all first responders through their paces, it will also serve to familiarise our emergency service partners with the brand-new WSI precinct – the nation’s first major international greenfield airport in more than 50 years.”
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has hailed the upcoming test, which will ensure WSI meets Civil Aviation Safety Authority certification requirements, as “a big moment for Sydney’s new airport”.
“The runway and terminal are complete, now testing is really ramping up,” she said.
“737s are the most common plane in Australian skies and will be a mainstay on the runways and taxiways of Western Sydney International when it opens in the second half of 2026.
“It’s exciting that NSW RFS firefighting jet Marie Bashir will be the first of many 737s touching down soon at Western Sydney International Airport.”
WSI saw its first “official” aircraft landing late last year, with a light aircraft in October 2024 conducting test flights for the airfield’s ground lighting system.
The Piper PA-30 Twin Engine Comanche aircraft, VH-8MN, was tasked with taking off and landing at both ends of the runway in daylight, dusk and nighttime conditions to ensure the airport’s 3,000 aeronautical ground lights were fit for purpose ahead of the 2026 opening.
VH-8MN was technically not the first plane ever to land at Western Sydney Airport, as a Piper PA-28 Cherokee made an emergency landing on the construction site earthworks in late 2020 due to what was reported as a mechanical problem on a training flight.
