Sydney's second airport opens after 80 years of planning
Western Sydney International Airport is named after pioneering aviator Nancy-Bird Walton. The airport opens to commercial passengers on Sunday. This comes after almost seven years of building.
Construction began in 2018 at Badgerys Creek. The project took eight decades of planning to reach reality.
The new airport runs round-the-clock. It will handle both cargo and passengers.
This eases pressure on Sydney's main airport. Jetstar will fly the first commercial service, taking passengers to the Gold Coast.
The terminal was designed to be modular. It has room to expand to four terminals.
A second runway can also be added. Leaders hope Badgerys Creek will grow.
It should handle more than 80 million passengers every year by the 2060s. Bus services are moving passengers to St Marys.
A rapid-transit line is expected to open along the route in 2027. Local governments and business groups have high hopes for the airport.
They expect it will bring growth and jobs across western Sydney.
- Almost seven years
- Construction period
- Eight decades
- Planning period
- 2014
- Formal approval
- 2018
- Construction start
Why it mattersA second airport gives Sydney year-round capacity. It offers new jobs for western Sydney. It could reshape growth patterns across the region for decades.
AustraliaWestern Sydney residents gain local access to air travel; the region could attract significant business and residential development; passengers across greater Sydney gain more flight options and lower airfares through increased competition.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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