A £2.59billion mega-airport under construction in Australia hopes to solve a major city’s air traffic problem – and become “akin to London’s Heathrow”. Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) should relieve the pressure on the overwhelmed Sydney Airport when it opens in 2026, and support £44.5billion ($91billion) in visitor expenditures to the region by 2035.
Located about 30 miles west of the business district, the 24-hour airport won’t have the same constrictions as its counterpart, which is prohibited to welcome flights over its airspace from 11:00pm and 6:00am due to an act passed in 1995. WSI CEO Simon Hickey said it will eventually become “akin to London’s Heathrow airport” with plans to make it Sydney’s biggest international airport that can handle more than 80million annual passengers.
The city’s existing airport welcomed 40 million passengers in 2023, but WSI promises to be able to support 10 million passengers from day one, and a second runway is planned for the future, although it’s not expected until the 2050s.
Mr Hickey added the airport will deliver “a major boost to the state’s visitor economy and provide further support for the vibrant and diverse tourism attractions that NSW has to offer for both domestic and global travellers alike”.
Set to open in late 2026, the project actually dates back to 2018 when cows and sheep were put on site to eat through the bushland. Since then, around 26 million cubic metres of soil and rock have been moved to level the site. It is the first airport to be built on Australia’s greenfield in more than 50 years and its terminal will be spread over 90,000 square metres. New South Wales Government announced a £3.9million ($8million) Take-Off Fund on 13 March to incentivise international airlines to fly new routes into the airport, which will be matched by WSI, representing a combined value of £7.8million ($16million).
NSW Government aims to achieve £44.5billion ($91billion) in visitor expenditure by 2035, and it hopes the funding will help deliver over 162,000 international visitors to NSW and generate an estimated £259million ($530million) of visitor expenditure.
Hickey said: “With tickets for our first flights set to go on sale later this year and our opening day rapidly approaching, this initial investment with the State Government is very welcome news and another strong signal that Western Sydney International Airport is well and truly open for business.”