Sydney airport go-ahead

Australia has given the go-ahead for construction of a second airport for Sydney at a cost of £3bn as the existing Kingsford Smith airport nears capacity. The decision ends decades of political indecision over the project, which is expected initially to handle 10m passengers.

The chosen site at Badgerys Creek to the west of Sydney had already been selected. Previous governments had set aside land for the project, but no final approval had been given.

Aviation in Sydney has grown significantly since the Kingsford Smith facility was built. Between 1985-86 and 2011-12, total passenger throughput more than tripled from 9.5m to 36m.

The designated Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek, 41km (about 25mi) west of Kingsford Smith, is scheduled to open in the mid-2020s and will be built with one runway initially, with a second to follow when traffic warrants it. 

The runway will be able to handle the Airbus A380, the largest commercial airliner currently flying, and the airport will operate without a curfew, unlike Kingsford Smith, which essentially closes between 23:00 and 06:00.

The government decision was announced by Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who added: “The need for an airport in western Sydney has been screamingly obvious for years."

www.westernsydneyairport.gov.au

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