Badgerys Creek Airport will accommodate 1110 flights a day and 82 million passengers annually by 2063

THERE will 1110 flights every day. And 82 million passengers a year. This is the future of Badgerys Creek Airport in Sydney’s southwest by the year 2063.

A Qantas plane flying over Sydney. Picture: Chris Pavlich

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WESTERN Sydney community groups and political leaders are renewing calls to get flight paths for the proposed Badgerys Creek airport right, as planning and development begins.

The Federal Government’s Environmental Impact Statement has forecast more than 1000 flights will take off and land from the new airport daily by 2063.

Over a year that will equate to around 82 million passengers.

Based on the airport being opened 17 hours per day — closed from 11pm to 6am they will be approximately 65 flights per hour or about one flight every minute.

This compares with Heathrow Airport — which is one of the busiest in the world and has no flights between 11pm and 4.30am — which has 1400 flights per day. Which is one flight every

45 seconds.

Badgerys Creek could be open 24 hours but federal Labor has said if it got into power there would be night curfew from 11pm to 6am when planes could only land or take off from the south west runway operation — which would take aircraft over unpopulated areas.

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, supports Badgerys Creek. President and Liverpool councillor, Tony Hadchiti said the project could turbocharge Greater Western Sydney.

“We need to get this right,” Mr Hadchiti said.

“I am pleased the government has committed to designing flight paths that minimise noise over residential areas.”

Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher is pictured in August with the preparation for construction of Badgerys Creek Airport. Any plane landings now would be a little rough. Picture: Hollie Adams/The Australian

However, WSROC CEO Charles Casuscelli said the EIS noise assessment was based on indicative flight paths, which could change.

“The devil is in the detail,” Mr Casuscelli said.

“As indicative flight paths change, the potential noise impacts will need further environmental assessment and community consultation.”

Werriwa federal Labor MP Anne Stanley urged residents to read the EIS and give feedback.

“Labor, while supporting the airport and the jobs and infrastructure it will bring to western Sydney, believes the aviation operations must not be to the detriment of its residents,” Ms Stanley said.

In the federal election campaign earlier this year Labor pledged that if elected it would look at putting curfews on flights in and out of Badgerys Creek to limit noise along its flight path.

The Western Sydney Corridor Draft Concept, supplied by the Western Sydney Rail Alliance who maintain a rail connection linking Western Sydney to an airport at Badgerys Creek would deliver more than 40,000 jobs for the region.

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