Western Sydney Airport

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport,[1] locally Badgerys Creek Airport, or simply Western Sydney Airport, will become Sydney's second airport, located within the suburb of Badgerys Creek. The airport is planned to have 24-hour and curfew-free operations, in contrast to the existing Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport, which has reached capacity due to a legislated curfew and flight caps. The first stage of construction on the new airport began on 24 September 2018, which is expected to be complete and open by December 2026.[2] The site was officially designated by the Australian Government on 15 April 2014, after decades of debate on the location of another airport within Greater Sydney.[3][4][5][6][7]

"SWZ" redirects here. For the country with the three-letter country code, see Eswatini.

Western Sydney (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport

Badgerys Creek Airport
Outline of airport site in blue (land acquired by the Australian Government
Badgerys Creek Road and Parkland, within the airport site
Summary
Airport typePublic (under construction)
ServesWestern Sydney
LocationBadgerys Creek, New South Wales, Australia
Elevation AMSL262 ft / 80 m
Coordinates33°52′46″S 150°44′23″E
Map
Western Sydney (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05 / 23 (under construction) 3,700 12,139 Asphalt

The airport's location is situated 44 kilometres (27 mi) west of the Sydney CBD and 41 km (25 mi) west of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. The site lies 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south of the City of Penrith CBD and approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the City of Campbelltown CBD. The Township of Luddenham is located adjacent to the airport, 1 kilometre from the runway. It is also located within 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park, sparking serious concerns about declared Wilderness, Wild Rivers, Amenity, World Heritage status and the City of the Blue Mountains economy.[4][5][7] The site is within the City of Liverpool local government area and consists of approximately 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of Commonwealth land that was acquired between 1986 and 1991.[8] Following the purchase, the decision was made by the Government that construction of a third runway at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport was more appropriate.[9]

The airport is legislated for construction via the Commonwealth Governments Airports Act 1996, and is known as Sydney West Airport under this Act.[10] The airport will be developed and operated under the Airports Act 1996. The Airport Plan released in December 2016 by the Commonwealth Government for the airport site notes that the airport is referred to in the Airports Act as Sydney West Airport is commonly known as Western Sydney Airport,[11] and is officially known as Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport. The official name was in honour of Nancy Bird Walton, the youngest Australian woman to gain a pilot's licence. The Federal Government claims the initial construction phase is expected to generate around 4,000 jobs, the airport development is expected to create 35,000 jobs by 2035, increasing to 60,000 jobs over time.[3] Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed that the airport would "create 11,000 jobs during construction" and "28,000 within its first 5 years".[12] However, such claims are contradicted by the Labour Market analysis commissioned by the government and published in 2017.[13] According to this document the airport is predicted to directly support 3,231 jobs during construction over 8 years, 13,169 from the airport combined with a business park during the first 5 years of operation and 24,046 from the combined airport and business park over the following 10 years (2031–2041).[13]

Flight paths

On 19 October 2015, the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) was released by the coalition government.[14] This Statement outlined the proposed flight paths for Western Sydney Airport from initial opening in mid 2020s to 2050 for future flight paths for an international expansion.[15] The draft EIS showed incoming flights merging approximately 1,500 metres (4,921 ft)[16] over the Blue Mountains town of Blaxland which already lies at an altitude of 234 metres (768 ft).[17] Unlike Sydney airport, no 'flight sharing' was proposed to reduce noise impacts on individual suburbs. Instead, flight paths followed a single loop turning either south west or continuing south east after the Blaxland merge point, then either north east or south west towards Badgerys Creek.[18] The height started at 1,266 metres (4,153 ft) above ground level over Blaxland, with the south west path descending over the World Heritage listed National Park, declared Wilderness, declared Wild Rivers, and Warragamba dam, until reaching 457 metres (2,500 ft), over the township of Warragamba and descending towards the airport over Wallacia, Greendale, Silverdale and Luddenham before landing. The south east path descended over Glenbrook, Lapstone, Emu Plains Penrith, St Marys, reaching 457 metres (2,500 ft) over Erskine Park then 381 metres (1,250 ft) over the Twin Creeks and Sydney 'Science' Park housing estates prior to landing. Assessment of noise impacts were based solely on these flight paths.[19]

After an extensive community backlash and as a last measure to secure her seat, Liberal Louise Markus MP[20] and the coalition government announced a scrapping of this Blaxland merge point.[21] In the final EIS, (released on 15 September 2016) the flight paths, although remaining the same, were marked as 'indicative only'. A consistent message has been portrayed to the public since then that the flight paths are unknown, will not be released, noise impacts will not be assessed nor community consultation undertaken until after construction of the airport.[22][23] Louise Markus lost her seat at that election, with a swing of -9.2,[24] the first time that the Electorate of Macquarie had not been a 'Bell Weather Seat' (won by the same party as the overall election results).

Initial development

The site at Badgerys Creek was chosen because it was considered the preferred site by successive studies including an environmental impact statement that was completed in 1999.[8] It is planned that the airport will be built in phases with the initial construction phase building a smaller airport with a single runway. The cost of the initial development has been estimated at A$2.4 billion (as at 2012) and to generate 4,000 jobs. The government plans the initial phase would be complete and operational by 2025.[25] Sydney Airport Corporation, the operator of Sydney Airport, was given the right of first refusal to build and operate any second airport in an agreement reached with the Government when Sydney Airport was sold in 2002.[26] Sydney Airport declined the offer to build and operate the airport on 2 May 2017.[27]

It is believed the initial phase, with only one runway, would be favourable for budget airlines and airlines offering point to point travel. The airport will not have a night-time curfew, as the existing Sydney Airport now does.[26]

Ground transport

Road connections
Main article: Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan

With the designation of site as the location of Sydney's Second Airport, announcements were made on new and upgraded transport links to the airport and surrounding areas of western Sydney. Known as the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, it included:[28]

Rail connections

In April 2014 the Federal Government said it had no plans to build a train line. However it indicated provision for the train line would be included in the development, this may include preparing the tunnels under the runway as part of the runway construction and preparing the underground space for a station. It was considered likely the rail connection to the airport would consist of an extension to the South West Rail Link from Leppington.[29] In October 2015, Malcolm Turnbull indicated that the Badgerys Creek Airport would need both road and rail links to Sydney.[30] A scoping study into rail investment to service Western Sydney and the Western Sydney Airport was announced in November 2015. The study was jointly managed by the state and federal governments.[31] A discussion paper was released in September 2016. The paper proposed various options that could provide a rail link to the airport:[32]

OptionMode
Extension of the South West Rail Link from LeppingtonSuburban rail
Line to the Sydney Metro Northwest at Rouse HillLikely to be metro
Extension of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest from Bankstown via LiverpoolMetro
Line to the Main Western railway line at St MarysSuburban rail
New express line to the Sydney CBD via ParramattaMetro
Line between Macarthur and Schofields via WSA and St MarysLikely to be metro

The final report was released in March 2018. It proposed that two lines would ultimately service the airport: a "North-South Link" from Schofields to Macarthur and an "East-West Link" from Parramatta to the "Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis" – an area south of the airport. The East-West Link would likely form an extension of the already-announced Sydney Metro West. An extension of the South West Rail Link to the Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis was also proposed; interchanging with the North-South Link or East-West Link would be required to access the airport itself.[33]

At the same time, the governments announced the development of a new rail line serving the airport. This line would form part of the North-South Link, running south from St Marys to the airport, before continuing on to the Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis. Funding for the line will be split 50:50 between the governments.[34] The report suggested that "a metro or light metro style of train would suit the North-South Link".[33] The line, now known as Western Sydney Airport line, is scheduled to open by the time the airport opens in 2026.[35]

Bus connections

New express bus routes to the airport precinct were announced in March 2018, running from Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown.[34]

Development milestones
  • 15 April 2014 – Federal Government designated Badgerys Creek as the site for the Second Sydney Airport. Commencement of planning for the site.
  • 18 August 2014 – Federal Government formally issues a 'Notice to Consult' to the Sydney Airport Group, to enable formal discussion on development and 'Right of First Refusal' to develop and operate it.[36]
  • 20 January 2015 – Construction begins on upgrading Bringelly Road. This is the first major upgrade to one of the 3 roads servicing the airport.[37]
  • 20 January 2015 – Geotechnical investigations, to profile the subsoil and rock, begin on the airport site.[38]
  • June 2015 – Residents vacate government land reserved for airport.[39]
  • 19 October 2015 – Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released for public exhibition to enable community consultation.[14]
  • 16 September 2016 – Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released.[22]
  • 18 December 2015 – Public exhibition and submission period for the draft EIS closes.[14]
  • Early 2016 – Construction starts on upgrading roads surrounding the airport site.
  • 15 September 2016 – Final EIS released [14]
  • 2 May 2017 – Sydney Airport declines offer to run second airport at Badgerys Creek [27]
  • 9 May 2017 – As part of the Federal Budget 2017, the Australian Government has committed up to $5.3 billion over 10 years to build the Western Sydney Airport through a new company, WSA Co.[40]
  • 24 September 2018 – Construction of Stage 1 officially began at the airport site.[41]
  • 4 March 2019 – Western Sydney International Airport named Nancy-Bird Walton Airport[42]

Construction timeline
  • 30 June 2018 - After being shortlisted in April, Bechtel Infrastructure (Australia) was awarded the Delivery Partner contract by Western Sydney Airport Co.[43]
  • 2026 – Stage 1 Expected to be Completed.

See also

References
  1. "Naming Tribute To Aviation Pioneer". Western Sydney Airport. WSACo. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. http://westernsydneyairport.gov.au/files/summary_brochure-an_airport_for_WS.pdf
  3. Truss, Warren; Abbott, Tony. "Western Sydney Airport to Deliver Jobs and Infrastructure". Ministry for Inreastructure and Regional Development (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  4. "No Badgerys Creek Airport - Blue Mountains Conservation Society". www.bluemountains.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. "Grose". www.colongwilderness.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. "WHY NOT AN AIRPORT AT BADGERYS CREEK". www.nobca.org.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  7. "Clear Blue Sky". www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  8. "Fact sheet: Why was Badgerys Creek chosen?". Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Commonwealth of Australia.
  9. corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Second Sydney Airport-A Chronology". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  10. Cities, Infrastructure Regional Development and. "Airports Act 1996". www.legislation.gov.au. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  11. http://westernsydneyairport.gov.au/files/Western_Sydney_Airport_Plan.pdf
  12. "Breaking Ground on Western Sydney Airport | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  13. "WSA Labour Market Analysis" (PDF).
  14. "The Western Sydney Airport Draft Environmental Impact Statement 2015". Western Sydney Airport. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  15. http://westernsydneyairport.gov.au/resources/deis/
  16. Paterson, Ian (22 October 2015). "Penrith and Blue Mountains avoid Western Sydney Airport plane noise but still under flight path". Penrith Press. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  17. "Blaxland". Visitor information: Local towns. BlueMountainsAustralia.com. n.d. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  18. "Environmental assessment". Western Sydney Airport. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. Department of Infrastructure, Transport. "Environmental assessment". Western Sydney Airport. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  20. Vickery, Kara (4 July 2016). "What went wrong for the Coalition in Bass, Bowman, Braddon, Lindsay, Eden-Monaro ... and the other seats they lost". news.com.au. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  21. "Silence on airport noise plans". The Australian.
  22. Department of Infrastructure, Transport. "Environmental assessment". Western Sydney Airport. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  23. http://westernsydneyairport.gov.au/resources/eis/files/WSA-EIS-Volume-2a-Stage-1-Development.pdf
  24. "Macquarie – Australia 2019". The Tally Room. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  25. "Fact sheet: Building an airport at Badgerys Creek". Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Commonwealth of Australia.
  26. O'Sullivan, Matt (16 April 2014). "Sydney Airport looks west". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  27. "Sydney Airport declines offer to run second airport at Badgerys Creek". ABC News. ABC. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  28. "Delivering the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan". (Federal) Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  29. Saulwick, Jacob (16 April 2014). "Federal government plans for airport rail line but will not build it". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  30. Australian Associated Press (16 October 2015). "Malcolm Turnbull says Badgerys Creek airport in Sydney 'will need rail links'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  31. "Western Sydney Airport". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  32. "Western Sydney Rail Needs Scoping Study: Chapter 6 – The options" (PDF). Transport for NSW. September 2016.
  33. "Western Sydney Rail Needs Scoping Study Outcomes Report". Australian Government and New South Wales Government. March 2018. pp. 7–11, 54–58. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  34. "Western Sydney City Deal to deliver rail, investment and jobs". Transport for NSW. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  35. "Western Sydney City Deal – Connectivity". Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  36. Truss, Warren (18 August 2014). "Western Sydney airport: Notice to Consult issued today". Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Australian Government. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  37. "Construction starts on first Western Sydney Airport road". Prime Minister of Australia. Australian Government. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  38. Truss, Warren (20 January 2015). "Geotechnical analysis starts at Badgerys Creek". Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Australian Government. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  39. Nageshwar, Pranesh (13 April 2015). "Nick the Slasher forced to join airport exodus at Badgerys Creek". Penrith Press. News Corporation. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  40. Fletcher MP, Paul (11 May 2017). "Government commits up to $5.3 billion to build Western Sydney Airport". Media Releases. Australian Government. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  41. "Scott Morrison to turn first 'sod' for Sydney's second airport". 9NEWS. Nine Digital. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  42. "'Inspiring choice': New Sydney airport named after Nancy-Bird Walton". SMH. SMH. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  43. "Western Sydney Airport contracts mean local jobs". WSA Co. WSA Co. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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