Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) has concluded emergency exercises that saw it land its first jet aircraft this week.
The interagency exercise involved WSI personnel along with around 300 volunteers and emergency services personnel, as well as federal agencies, and included a large-scale response to a simulated aerial incident. 50 emergency services vehicles also attended the scene.
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“Frontline agency functions and protocols, including immediate response, incident reporting, forward command management, ambulance triage, disaster victim identification and registration, passenger welfare, crisis management and recovery arrangements, were tested as part of the program,” the airport said in a news release.
The exercises, which lasted two days, began with the arrival of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) N138CG Marie Bashir large air tanker at around 8.30am on Tuesday, the first jet aircraft to land at the new airport.
WSI chief executive Simon Hickey hailed the arrival of the 737 as “the first of many aircraft to land at Sydney’s new 24-hour airport” ahead of its opening late next year.
“This week’s exercise comes as we ramp up our broader live testing at WSI, giving us the opportunity to flex our operational muscles and, more importantly, train staff for the ever-dynamic environment of a 24-hour airport,” he said.
“At the same time, emergency simulations along with other live testing and rehearsals ensure that we meet critical CASA certification requirements, which will continue over the coming months.
“I thank state and federal agencies for their close collaboration and the hundreds of community partners and local volunteers who have supported this week’s successful two-day program.”
Speaking to the media before the event, NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the exercise was “more than just symbolism”.
“We want to plan for the worst-case scenario and hopefully it never happens. We want to make sure all of our systems are working, all of our systems are integrated and all of our emergency services are working together,” he said.
“I thank all of our emergency services for coming together and spending time together, making sure they check the systems, do all the drills, but most importantly, making sure we have an incredibly safe environment.”
WSI saw its first “official” aircraft land late last year, and in October 2024 a light aircraft performed test flights for the airfield’s ground lighting system.
The Piper PA-30 twin-engine Comanche The aircraft, VH-8MN, was tasked with taking off and landing at both ends of the runway during the day, dusk and night to ensure the airport’s 3,000 aeronautical ground lights were fit for purpose ahead of opening in 2026.
WSI also saw flight path testing conducted by a twin-engine Cessna Conquest this month, prior to the exercise.
