Second Sydney airport gets green light - and it’s 45km from the city
The project has been bogged down in partisan debate over aircraft noise, funding and alternative sites for 70 years
Sydney is to get its second international airport after the Australian government approved plans Monday, ending decades of indecision over a facility that will initially handle 10 million passengers a year.
Badgerys Creek in the city’s western suburbs had already been selected as the site, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signing off on its long-awaited construction.
It is scheduled to open in the mid-2020s, easing pressure on Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport, the main gateway into Australia which is reaching capacity.
“The need for an airport in western Sydney has been screamingly obvious for many years,” said Turnbull, adding it would be a catalyst for investment in the area.
“We are getting on with the job, and this airport will be built. Tens of thousands of jobs will be created. It will transform the economic opportunities in western Sydney.”
The first stage will see one runway constructed, able to handle Airbus A380s and 10 million people each year, with a second expected to be needed by 2050.