Commercial and hospitality

Cat1 works in a brand-new airport terminal, right up to Day 1

Western Sydney International opened to passengers on Sunday 25 October 2026. We spent the weeks before that inside the new terminal, working for WSI: the Cat1 works in the retail tenancies, then hoarding moves, temporary food and drink setups and fire stopping, right up to Day 1.

White hoarding around a tenancy under the Duty Free and premium lounges sign, Western Sydney International terminal

Site: Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport terminal, Badgerys Creek NSW
Client: WSI (Western Sydney International)
Sector: Commercial and retail, in a new airport terminal
Work: Cat1 works to retail tenancies, slab cut-out and hydraulics, hoarding, temporary food and drink setups, fire stopping
Years: August to October 2026
Delivery: Construction by Laidre, with night and after-hours shifts, up to the Day 1 opening

Cat1 works, ahead of the tenants

From September we delivered the Cat1 works in the retail tenancies: the landlord's share of a shop that has to be done before the tenant can start its own fit-out.

In the international duty-free arrivals tenancy we scanned the slab, then wet-drilled core holes to an engineer-approved set-out under strict dust controls.

Slab scan mark-up on a terminal floor, ready for core holes

White hoarding in the Western Sydney International terminal hall under the linear-lit ceiling

What we did

Scanned the slab in the international duty-free arrivals tenancy and wet-drilled close to 30 core holes to an engineer-approved set-out, under strict dust controls.
Took the tenancy ceilings out and put them back in around the works.
Cut out and re-poured the slab at the Goliath cafe for new plumbing, mostly on night shifts.
Moved hoarding and set up temporary food and drink stands around the terminal.
Drilled fire-rated core holes and fire stopped them.
Put up after-hours hoarding for other tenancy works.

Working right up to Day 1

As opening got closer, the work moved to hoarding, temporary food and drink setups and fire stopping, much of it after hours.

We kept going right up to Day 1, when Western Sydney International opened to passengers on Sunday 25 October 2026.

A line of new tenancy hoarding along the terminal hall, with high glazing behind

From the client

“Adaptable and flexible throughout the project, always willing to adjust when priorities shifted and new challenges came up … Thank you again for everything Laidre's done to help us get to this milestone.”
The client's project team, after Day 1 passenger flights

More from the terminal

Hoarded tenancy inside the terminal, its slab marked out for a cut-out, with the airfield through the window

Crew setting up a temporary food and drink stand on the concourse, with the apron through the glass

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