Friday 25 July 2025

Sydney Airport has welcomed today’s announcement by the Minns NSW Government of a $12.5 million investment to launch the NSW Take Off Fund - a new initiative aimed at securing additional airline services and driving international and domestic visitation to
New South Wales.

Unveiled as part of the 2025–26 NSW Budget, the NSW Take Off Fund will play a vital role in strengthening the state’s competitiveness on the global aviation stage.

Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO, said: “This new round of aviation funding will help unlock flight capacity and welcome more international visitors to Australia’s premier gateway.  

“I congratulate the Minns NSW Government and Destination NSW for their vision and commitment to supporting aviation, which is fundamental to achieving the ambitious goals of the 2030 Visitor Economy Strategy.  

“Aviation is a cornerstone of Sydney and NSW’s prosperity. Every dollar invested into aviation attraction at Sydney Airport generates a $9 return, with a typical international service supporting 1,200 full time jobs and delivering $130 million in annual economic benefit.

“We look forward to working with Destination NSW and new and existing airline partners to further elevate Sydney as Australia’s leading international tourism destination.”    

In the past year, Sydney Airport has secured new international services to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and to Shanghai with Juneyao Air, as well as increased capacity on key routes to India, South Korea and Southeast Asia. These wins are a direct result of targeted investment and strong collaboration between government and industry.

The program will provide financial and marketing support for airlines launching new or expanded services into NSW, with a goal to deliver an additional 8.5 million seats into the state over the coming years.

The new NSW Take Off fund builds on the success of previous aviation investment programs, including the Aviation Attraction Fund, which have already supported more than 25,000 jobs across NSW, including 15,000 direct roles.