VietJet and its Thai affiliate have committed to passenger services from Western Sydney International Airport before the terminal has opened to travellers. VietJet plans twice-weekly flights from the new airport to Ho Chi Minh City starting 10 January 2027, rising to three weekly services in March, operated with Airbus A330s seating up to 377 passengers. Thai VietJet intends to add four weekly flights to Bangkok from November 2027, subject to approvals. The Vietnamese carrier becomes the fifth airline to announce services at the airport, joining Jetstar, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Qantas. Cargo operations began in late July. Passenger flights are due to start in late October 2026.
New airports rarely open with a complete network. They open with a strategy. Western Sydney is building its early identity around lower operating costs, 24-hour availability and proximity to large diaspora communities rather than competing head-on with Kingsford Smith for the same premium long-haul traffic. More than half of Greater Sydney’s Vietnamese population of roughly 70000 lives in the western region. A low-cost carrier flying A330s into that catchment offers a direct, price-sensitive link that legacy carriers may not prioritise in the first years.
The same logic applies to the planned Thai services. Low-cost international airlines can accept lower yields and simpler ground infrastructure while the airport is still establishing itself. They help fill seats, generate aeronautical revenue and create the appearance of a functioning network before fuller-service carriers expand. Government support through the New South Wales Take-Off Fund further reduces the risk of those early routes.
For VietJet the move fits a broader Australian expansion. The airline already serves multiple Australian cities and has applied for a domestic air operator certificate. Securing a foothold at a new 24-hour gateway gives it flexibility that congested slots at existing airports do not. For Western Sydney the presence of Vietnamese and Thai low-cost capacity helps define the airport as a Southeast Asian leisure and diaspora hub from day one rather than a pure overflow facility for the existing Sydney system.
The bet is mutual. VietJet is committing aircraft and marketing spend to an airport passengers cannot yet use. The airport is using that commitment to prove demand exists west of the city. Whether the strategy succeeds will depend on whether those early low-cost services generate enough traffic and connectivity to attract the next wave of carriers. For now the schedule is being written before the terminal doors open.