Western Sydney Airport has much upside, but it must avoid mistakes

A FULLY developed Western Sydney Airport could ­inject $22 billion into the economy and create 60,000 jobs — but developers have been warned they have to avoid the mistakes of other “second” city airports around the world, which have crashed and burned.

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A FULLY developed Western Sydney Airport could ­inject $22 billion into the economy and create another 60,000 jobs.

However, it must take care to avoid the mistakes of other “second” city airports around the world, which have fallen to earth after much fanfare at takeoff.

As plans for the region surrounding the Badgerys Creek site flourish, a report by economic strategists and advisers AlphaBeta has cast doubt on the government’s plans to launch the airport as an “overflow”.

Artist impression of Western Sydney Airport

“There is a strong economic case for raising ambition levels for Western Sydney Airport to transforming this from that of an ‘overflow’ airport to becoming an ‘Aerotropolis’, a much larger scale airport model closely integrated into local commercial activities and residential ­approaches,” the report said.

The current plans are for Badgerys Creek to be an overflow airport similar to Avalon in Melbourne, with planned capacity for 10 million passengers and 220,000 tonnes of cargo.

It will only transition to a full-service airport when projected demand exceeds Sydney Airport’s capacity.

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But Andrew Charlton, co-founder of AlphaBeta, said an “Aerotropolis” model can create six times more economic impact and 10 times more jobs than an overflow airport.

“For the benefit of the people of NSW — and in particular Western Sydney — we shouldn’t let this slip us by,” Dr Charlton said.

“To unlock this opportunity, Australia and NSW’s economic strategies must be closely interlinked with the airport ... That kind of joined-up thinking is at the heart of the success of international models like Singapore’s Changi and there is no doubt we can excel at that too.”

“The new airport was definitely an important consideration for the Inglis board when deciding to invest $140 million to relocate to our horse auction facility … and develop a significant multipurpose event centre and luxury hotel,” Inglis managing director Mark Webster said.

An artist’s impression of the sales arena at the Inglis family’s new Riverside Stables.

The keys to making the airport boom from day one are rapid transport connections, government leadership and planning and strong links to industry.

Food production and export, advanced manufacturing, science and technology and leisure industries are set to boom around the airport.

It’s understood Liverpool Council is hoping to ramp up food production in the area.

Western Sydney Airport will fast-track access to international markets fro local growers such as Hai Fen Chen, whose family has been operating a market garden in Bringelly for more than 20 years. She hopes to capitalise on increasing international demand for high-quality Australian produce.

A report to be launched by the council next month is expected to point to Australia’s growing airfreight — driven in part by demand from Asia — as a big opportunity for the area when the airport is built.

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Western Sydney Airport’s 24-hour operations will help it attract airlines and dedica­ted freight carriers, the ­report is likely to say, without ­diverting any food freight from Sydney Airport.

“The parcels of land near Badgerys Creek provide a fantastic opportunity to turn top-class research in quantum engineering and nanoscience into a manufacturing hub that can bring these ideas to life,” Professor David Reilly, director of the Microsoft Quantum Lab at the University of Sydney’s Nanoscience Hub, said.

Sydney University, which owns land at Luddenham, is considering plans to transform it into hi-tech manufacturing hubs.

Professor David Reilly, director of the Microsoft Quantum Lab at the University of Sydney’s Nano­science Hub, said Sydney could lead the world in developing the new technology.

“We’re going to be the frontrunners of this technology,” he said.

Sydney Business Chamber Western Sydney director David Borger said the airport’s design should reflect the region and chose the Foster and Partners design for a new airport in Mexico City (pictured) as an inspiration.

An artist’s impression of Mexico airport.

Sydney Business Chamber, Western Sydney Director David Borger is gunning for a big name architect to design the airport terminal building, singling out world-famous architect Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, who is designing seven Sydney Metro stations.

“This is an opportunity to design an airport that’s unconstrained by heritage and history and we should be constructing Australia’s best airport,” he said.

But Western Sydney also needs to be careful to avoid the fate of overseas duds like Mirabel Airport in Canada and Ciudad in Spain.

Mirabel in Montreal, which opened in 1975, was supposed to see 40 million passengers annually by 2025.

But the airport was cut-off from the city, with poor transit links and it was shut to all air traffic in 2004.

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MIRABEL, CANADA

Mirabel, 60km outside Montreal in Canada, opened in 1875 and was expected to have up to 40 million passengers by 2025. Poor highway and transit links saw passenger enthusiasm quickly fall and it closed in 2004.

Mirabel Airport’s passenger terminal, before its demolition.

CIUDAD, MADRID

Ciudad in Madrid was closed in 2012, just three years after it opened. It was built alongside the high-speed rail line to Seville, which was supposed to deliver passengers from Madrid in just 50 minutes — but the airport did not have a high-speed rail station.

Cuidad Airport's terminal, after its closure.