Sydney is tantalisingly close to getting its curfew-free second international airport, with more details about its new western hub emerging in recent days.

The first flights will begin at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in July,

While they will initially be only cargo flights, the first passenger flights will begin in October, airport chief executive Simon Hickey told Senate estimates last week.

By 2030, Western Sydney is expected to provide the city with more than 200 extra flights every day.

The $6 billion airport at Badgerys Creek has been more than a decade in the planning and building. As its opening nears, it is testing systems, training staff and checking infrastructure.

“We’re getting more and more match-fit each day,” Hickey said.

Major airlines Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand have been confirmed as Western Sydney’s “launch partners”. Hickey said they would begin selling tickets for flights in coming weeks.

Last week, he said international flights would operate before the end of the year.

“What [airlines] didn’t want to do was to go on sale over the peak periods when people were travelling,” Hickey told The Australian.

“The peak for travel is usually December and January, and we’re just back from that now in February so the airlines will determine when they go on sale, and I expect that to be in the not too distant future.”

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Jetstar’s presence is likely to put pressure on competitor Virgin Australia to also add Western Sydney to its itineraries. Virgin has said it’s “looking closely” at its options.

Unlike Sydney’s existing airport, the new hub – which is about 40 kilometres west of the CBD – will be able to operate 24 hours a day. In turn, that means it can schedule late-night departures.

The NSW government is also building a $12 billion Sydney Metro rail connection it has said “will become the transport spine for greater western Sydney, connecting communities and travellers with the new [airport] and the growing region”. The train link doesn’t open until 2027 (a year later than planned) – until then, passengers will get a free bus to six western Sydney suburbs to fill the gap.

“We are building a world-class metro that will allow this airport and this part of western Sydney to develop rapidly over the coming years and decades,” state Transport Minister John Graham said.

“While the free, interim buses will phase out when the metro opens, the new bus services between the airport and Penrith, Oran Park, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Mount Druitt and Leppington will be a permanent upgrade for public transport.”

The Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport alignment. Image: NSW government

The terminal at Badgerys Creek is complete and flight paths are locked in. The airport is also testing an Australian-first robot-powered baggage system that will pick up passengers’ bags and take them to containers, ready for loading on planes.

The Toyota-owned Vanderlande system is being put through its paces with thousands of bags of every shape and size.

“It’s not usually the normal rectangular-type bags that go wrong in a system, it’s the odd shapes. So we’ve got to know ‘what does that look like for us in our system?’,” Hickey said.

“What speeds can they go around corners within the system? Is everything working as we expect it to? We’ve done system-wide integration testing, to make sure it’s fit for purpose and ready to go.”

In the check-in area, kiosks and bag drops will be common to passengers for all airlines – an innovation credited with saving plenty of space.

Hickey’s pre-opening checklist also includes ticking off airport lighting, construction of a fire station and the final design and fit-out of retail and food and beverage outlets.

“It’s been years and years, and thousands of people working millions of hours to get us to where we are, but it is all coming together,” he said.

“There is still a lot to do but we’re really confident with where we’re at.”