Work starts on Western Sydney Airport passenger terminal
The boss of the new Western Sydney Airport has declared it will be Australia’s “best airport terminal.” Here’s why.
NSW
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Construction of Australia’s “best airport terminal”, where anxious waits for baggage and slow check-in lines are set to be a thing of the past, has officially begun in Western Sydney.
The Nancy-Bird Walton airport has passed another major milestone, with work commencing on the combined international and domestic terminal, which will welcome more than 10 million people a year.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who will visit the site on Friday, said it was a significant step in the “once-in-a-generation, city-shaping infrastructure project”.
“The Western Sydney International Airport … is already delivering major benefits for Western Sydney, as we knew it would, and it only gets better from here,” he said.
Mr Morrison said about 11,000 jobs would be supported during the construction of the airport.
“Tens of thousands more jobs will be created when the airport is up and running in 2026, and millions of travellers are arriving into Sydney’s newest airport every year,” he said.
“The airport will also play a crucial role in the nation’s aviation future, delivering dynamic global connections for the region, and opening up even further possibilities for new routes and services.”
Western Sydney Airport chief executive Simon Hickey said the terminal was being designed with the customer “at its heart”.
“This will be Australia’s best airport terminal,” he said.
“We’ll get passengers on their way sooner.”
Mr Hickey said the airport was aiming to make the “anxious wait” around the baggage carousel a “thing of the past”.
“Our baggage system will give passengers the option to track their bags via an app so they know exactly when they will arrive.”
Mr Hickey said the terminal would be a “destination in its own right”, with specialty retail, restaurants and cafes, as well as an outdoor plaza that could host events like local food festivals, markets and community celebrations.
Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said about a quarter of the airport’s construction was now complete.
“Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, work has continued to progress,” he said.
“With this unique opportunity to build an airport from the ground up, we are able to roll out cutting-edge technology to make the passenger experience smoother and easier than at existing airports, and the security systems more effective but less intrusive.”
Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh welcomed the airport in her electorate of Lindsay exceeding its local employment targets.
“Over $100 million has already been injected into businesses in Western Sydney, supercharging our local economy,” she said.
The contract for the airside pavements package, which will include the 3.7km runway and rapid-exit taxiways, was awarded in September, with construction due to begin next year.
Bulk earthworks are around 75 per cent complete.
The government has invested $5.3 billion in Western Sydney International, and $9 billion for rail and road links to the airport.
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