First Qantas A321 freighters land at Western Sydney International as passenger flights loom

Pilots praise 'slick operation' at Luddenham hub days before terminal opens to travellers

By LineZotpaper

Published19 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Qantas has begun flying its first converted A321 freighters into Western Sydney International Airport, with pilots calling the new hub a smoother operation than Sydney Airport at Mascot, days before the terminal opens to passengers on Sunday.

Qantas has begun flying its first converted A321 freighters into Western Sydney International Airport, where pilots say the new hub delivers none of the holding delays common at Sydney Airport at Mascot.

First officer Jay Bayliss and captain Taryn Lloyd, a former RAAF pilot, flew the first of three A321 freighters into the airport on Friday. "You get no delays coming in," Bayliss said. "But coming here, it's such a slick operation." Lloyd said crews were still "a bit awed by how big and flash it is, especially at night".

Qantas Freight executive manager Igor Kwiatkowski called the automated facility, run with Australia Post, the "jewel in the crown" of its cargo operations. "Kingsford Smith is a great airport, but it hasn't got oodles of space for expansion," he said. The A321s replace smaller BAE 146-300 aircraft that carry less than half the weight, so Qantas will fly slightly fewer flights but with much bigger capacity. Services will increase during Black Friday and the Christmas peak, and international cargo flights from western Sydney could begin as early as next year.

Converting former domestic passenger planes into freighters took 18 months: seats, toilets and galleys were stripped, large automatic doors were cut into the fuselages, and floors were strengthened to take containers weighing up to six tonnes.

The cargo hub has operated since late July, with about a dozen Qantas freighters a night from Monday to Thursday. Australia Post's Mark Davies said the airport's curfew-free status meant customers in Sydney's growing west could "take orders later in the day, and still get the next day delivery". The 733,000-square-metre cargo precinct can handle eight Boeing 747 freighters or 16 Airbus A320s, and its first stage can process at least 250,000 tonnes of freight annually, ending Kingsford Smith's monopoly in the Sydney basin. Qantas expects its 24,000-square-metre facility to be fully fitted out by early next year.

Jetstar begins passenger services on Sunday with a flight to the Gold Coast. Qantas passengers must wait until March 28, when four weekly QantasLink E190 services to Melbourne and Brisbane begin.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Sunday's passenger opening of the $6 billion airport gives western Sydney its first commercial airport, ending Kingsford Smith's long-held monopoly in the Sydney basin.
The curfew-free, round-the-clock cargo hub changes freight logistics for Australia Post and parcel operators, enabling later order cut-offs and next-day delivery.
Qantas is making a major bet on the region: its automated freight facility is among its largest investments outside aircraft spending.

Background

Western Sydney International Airport, built at Luddenham, is Sydney's second major airport. The existing airport at Mascot, which is privately owned and closer to the coast, is hemmed in by surrounding development and lacks room to expand, a constraint Qantas executives cite as a key reason for shifting cargo growth west. The new airport's location in one of Australia's fastest-growing regions and its curfew-free operations are central to its appeal for both passengers and freight operators. The cargo precinct opened in late July, passenger services begin this month, and Qantas' passenger operations follow next March.

Key Perspectives

Qantas Freight: The airline sees the new airport as its "growth vehicle", offering the space for expansion that Mascot cannot provide, and describes the automated facility as the centrepiece of its cargo network.

Australia Post: The joint-venture partner values the curfew-free 24-hour operation, which lets customers place later orders and still receive next-day delivery as Sydney's population shifts west.

Travellers: Jetstar passengers get access from Sunday, while Qantas passengers and its planned international cargo services follow in stages through early next year, meaning the airport's full benefits will roll out gradually.

What to Watch

The first passenger departure from the new terminal on Sunday.
March 28 next year, when Qantas begins its four weekly passenger services to Melbourne and Brisbane.
Whether international cargo flights from western Sydney start next year, as flagged by Qantas.
Freight volumes through Black Friday and the Christmas peak, the first big test of the new curfew-free hub.

Sources

‘Slick operation’: Flying into Sydney’s new airport beats Mascot congestion · The Age - Latest News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

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SupportedFirst Qantas A321 freighters land at Western Sydney InternationalThe Age - Latest News: “the first of three larger replacement planes to join Qantas’ freight operations”
SupportedPilots praise 'slick operation' at Luddenham hubThe Age - Latest News: “But coming here, it’s such a slick operation.”
Supportedpilots say the new hub delivers none of the holding delays common at Sydney AirportThe Age - Latest News: “You get no delays coming in. If you’re going in and out of Sydney [Airport], quite often you can end up being slowed down. You get a lot of holding.”
SupportedFirst officer Jay Bayliss and captain Taryn Lloyd, a former RAAF pilot, flew the first of three A321 freighters into the airport on Friday.The Age - Latest News: “Bayliss and captain Taryn Lloyd flew into Western Sydney International Airport on Friday on an Airbus A321, which is the first of three larger replacement planes to join Qantas’ freight operations. ... Lloyd, a former RAAF pilot.”
Supported"You get no delays coming in," Bayliss said. "But coming here, it's such a slick operation."The Age - Latest News: ““You get no delays coming in. ... But coming here, it’s such a slick operation.””
SupportedLloyd said crews were still 'a bit awed by how big and flash it is, especially at night'.The Age - Latest News: “we’re still a bit awed by how big and flash it is – especially at night, it’s really impressive”
SupportedQantas Freight executive manager Igor Kwiatkowski called the automated facility, run with Australia Post, the 'jewel in the crown' of its cargo operations.The Age - Latest News: “Qantas Freight executive manager Igor Kwiatkowski said the new facility was the “jewel in the crown” of its cargo operations, which operated as part of a joint venture with Australia Post.”
Partly supportedThe A321s replace smaller BAE 146-300 aircraft that carry less than half the weight, so Qantas will fly slightly fewer flights but with much bigger capacity.The Age - Latest News: “With the A321s replacing smaller BAE 146-300 aircraft, which carry less than half the weight, Qantas would operate slightly fewer flights to the airport in coming months 'but with much bigger capacity', Kwiatkowski said.”
Partly supportedinternational cargo flights from western Sydney could begin as early as next year.The Age - Latest News: “when Qantas starts international cargo services from western Sydney as early as next year”
SupportedConverting former domestic passenger planes into freighters took 18 months: seats, toilets and galleys were stripped, large automatic doors were cut into the fuselages, and floors were strengthened to take containers weighing up to six tonnes.The Age - Latest News: “Turning what were A321 domestic passenger planes into dedicated cargo aircraft has been an 18-month exercise. Apart from stripping out seats, toilets and galleys, a large hole had to be cut in the side of each so that large automatic doors could be installed to allow the entry of cargo containers. Strengthening the aircraft floors was also crucial to ensure they could handle containers weighing up to six tonnes.”
SupportedThe cargo hub has operated since late July, with about a dozen Qantas freighters a night from Monday to Thursday.The Age - Latest News: “Since the airport’s cargo hub opened in late July, Qantas has been flying about a dozen freighter aircraft in and out a night from Monday to Thursday.”
SupportedThe 733,000-square-metre cargo precinct can handle eight Boeing 747 freighters or 16 Airbus A320s, and its first stage can process at least 250,000 tonnes of freight annually, ending Kingsford Smith's monopoly in the Sydney basin.The Age - Latest News: “Western Sydney Airport’s 733,000-square-metre cargo precinct is big enough to handle eight large Boeing 747 freighters or 16 smaller Airbus A320 planes. ... The entire first stage of the cargo hub ... is capable of handling at least a quarter of a million tonnes of freight annually, ending the privately owned Kingsford Smith Airport’s monopoly in the Sydney basin.”