Singapore Airlines to use The Rayleigh Lounge at Western Sydney Airport

Singapore Airlines will launch flights to Western Sydney Airport (WSI) from November 2026, offering travellers a second gateway to Australia’s largest city.

WSI is the first major airport to be built in Australia in 50 years. Not only will it ease pressure on Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which is close to capacity, it also offers the possibility of 24/7 operations. Unlike Kingsford Smith, it has no noise curfew, allowing airlines to operate late-night arrivals or departures that better align with connections at their hubs. 

When the route was first announced, there was no word on the lounge arrangement for Singapore Airlines passengers. However, WSI has now offered a first look at The Rayleigh Lounge, which will welcome eligible passengers once SQ’s daily service launches next month.

Recap: Singapore Airlines flights to Western Sydney Airport

First, let’s quickly recap Singapore Airlines’ plans for flights to WSI.

From 23 November 2026, Singapore Airlines will operate a daily service between Singapore and Western Sydney with the following schedule.

The 11.55 p.m departure — which would not have been possible at Kingsford Smith, with its daily noise curfew from 11 p.m to 6 a.m — arrives in Singapore at 5.05 a.m. This allows for much better connectivity with SQ’s morning bank of flights.

By way of comparison, SQ’s last flight from Kingsford Smith departs at 7 p.m and lands in Singapore at 12.15 a.m, creating punishingly long connections of almost nine hours for some passengers.

The 11.55 p.m departure time is also why the lounge at WSI matters more than usual — you’ll be killing time at night, at an airport 44km from the CBD with limited public transport. Arriving early and settling in for dinner is probably the game plan for most passengers.

The Rayleigh Lounge

Singapore Airlines will send eligible passengers to The Rayleigh Lounge, which will open in November 2026 with dnata as the operator. 

The lounge will be located on the terminal’s mezzanine level, with views across the airfield towards the Blue Mountains — not that SQ202 passengers will enjoy much of it, given the late-night departure.

COX Architecture, the master architects for the terminal itself, also handled the design for this lounge. The press release describes a palette that transitions from bush tones to blue haze, with interior furnishings from Sydney-based designer Tom Fereday, including bespoke pieces that showcase contemporary Australian design. 

The lounge will feature:

• Dedicated lounge and dining areas
• A feature bar
• An open kitchen
• Fast Wi-Fi and integrated charging
• Three private shower suites

Operating hours have not yet been announced, but the press release mentions that food and beverage offerings will rotate throughout the day to fit WSI’s 24-hour schedule, which suggests long hours. dnata says it will be working with local producers to showcase Western Sydney produce and cuisine, which hopefully translates into something more interesting than the usual buffet suspects.

The lounge has an initial capacity of 80 passengers, which is a bit of a concern. A fully loaded Singapore Airlines A350-900MH has 40 Business Class passengers alone, before counting PPS, KrisFlyer Elite Gold and Star Alliance Gold members in Economy. Fortunately, the lounge has been designed to expand to around 130 seats as more airlines arrive.

It’s also unclear whether lounge memberships like Priority Pass will have access, or whether there will be a separate lounge for them. That said, I doubt the airport will see enough traffic to warrant two separate lounges from the get-go. 

There were a couple of dnata job listings recruiting staff for a “Marhaba Lounge” at WSI, but I think that’s simply the cover name they used while news of the Rayleigh Lounge was still embargoed.

WSI’s press release says that the terminal has “designated space for additional international and domestic lounge offerings, which can be considered as airline and passenger demand grows over the years ahead”.

Who is entitled to lounge access?

The following Singapore Airlines passengers will be able to access The Rayleigh Lounge.

• Business Class passengers
• Economy Class passengers, with the following status (+1 guest):
  • Solitaire PPS Club/ PPS Club
  • KrisFlyer Elite Gold/ Star Gold
  • Virgin Australia Velocity Beyond, Platinum or Gold

All guests must be travelling on the same flight as the eligible passenger, per Star Alliance policy.

How does it compare to the SilverKris Lounge in Sydney?

Singapore Airlines operates its own SilverKris Lounge at SYD, which completed a brief two-week refurbishment in August 2024.

Obviously, SQ has greater oversight and operational control over the SilverKris Lounge. Solitaire PPS Club members may also prefer to fly from SYD due to its dedicated First Class section, which offers an a la carte menu. 

On the other hand, The Rayleigh Lounge has that “new and shiny” vibe, and Singapore Airlines passengers will very likely have the lounge to themselves during the initial stages, as Air New Zealand’s flights depart in the morning.

What aircraft will Singapore Airlines use?

Western Sydney flights will be operated by a two-cabin Airbus A350-900MH, with 303 seats split into:

• 40 Business Class
• 263 Economy Class

With a blocked flight time of up to 8h 20m, this will be one of the longest routes operated by the MH variant, alongside Brisbane and the upcoming Riyadh service — whenever that gets off the ground. At that length, passengers might start to feel more of the limitations of the 2018 Regional Business Class seat equipped on this aircraft. 

This seat features full-flat beds in a 1-2-1 configuration, though it is on the narrow side at just 20″ wide (compared to 28″ on the 2013 Business Class seat). However, you can gain an additional 6″ by lowering the armrests, and unlike the 2013 Business Class seat, you don’t have to get up to flip it into bed mode.

You can read a review of this product below (this flight was on a B787-10, but the seat is largely the same).

Review: Singapore Airlines B787-10 Business Class Seoul to Singapore

How much do KrisFlyer awards cost?

Western Sydney is be grouped with Sydney in Zone 9 of the KrisFlyer award chart, which means you can expect to pay the following for award redemptions.

Singapore to Western Sydney redemptions (One-way flight on Singapore Airlines)
	Saver	Advantage
Economy	29,000	60,500
Business	72,000	103,500

First and Premium Economy Class are not offered on the A350-900MH which will operate the Western Sydney flights, though there’s always the possibility of an upgauge in the future should demand warrant.

Where is Western Sydney Airport?

Western Sydney Airport is not the ideal place to fly if you want to get into Sydney proper.

The airport is located about 44km west of the Sydney CBD, compared to 8km for Sydney Kingsford Smith. A journey by car from Western Sydney Airport would take roughly 60 minutes, or potentially more if traffic is bad. 

Moreover, there won’t be a direct rail link to the city, at least initially. The planned A$11 billion Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line, a 23km rail link running from St Marys station, has been hit by delays that have seen its opening date slip to at least April 2027.

The latest setback involves a delay in the arrival of the 12 driverless trains from Germany, and while free shuttles from the airport to St Marys will be available as a stop-gap measure, it’s clearly not the outcome that airport officials would have wanted.

There’s something to be said about Australian airports and trains — Brisbane Airport opened in 1988, but the airport rail link didn’t arrive until 2001. Perth only received airport rail service in 2022, and as for Melbourne, well, the less said about the expected 2029 debut, the better!

However, Western Sydney has a substantial catchment of around 2.7 million people living within an hour of the airport. Moreover, it represents an excellent gateway for travellers whose plans include the Blue Mountains, which are a mere 30 minutes away.

Western Sydney Airport will be able to serve up to 10 million passengers a year upon opening, and has ambitious plans to eventually become Australia’s primary gateway, with capacity for 82 million passengers (akin to London Heathrow today). This will involve the opening of a further three terminals, and dual-runway operations by 2060. 

Who else will be there?

Singapore Airlines won’t be the only international carrier to serve Western Sydney Airport. Air New Zealand will actually beat them to the punch by launching 3x weekly service to Auckland on 26 October 2026.

Qantas and Jetstar will also operate domestic services from Western Sydney, though you won’t be able to book single-ticket connecting itineraries with Singapore Airlines, which adds some friction to the process. 

While that’s pretty much the line-up for now, it’s inevitable that more names will follow, given the constraints on operations at Sydney Kingsford Smith. For what it’s worth, the runway at Western Sydney Airport will be over 3,700m in length, allowing it to accommodate any existing commercial aircraft in service, including the Airbus A380.

Conclusion

Singapore Airlines will be using The Rayleigh Lounge at Western Sydney Airport, once daily services commence on 23 November 2026.

Passengers can look forward to a bar and open kitchen, together with three shower suites, which I’m sure will be in high demand, given that most will be arriving at the airport in the evening after a full day of engagements. 

Hopefully we’ll get some real photos of the lounge soon, as well as reviews from the first batch of travellers.

(H/T: Executive Traveller)