Sydney to soon have second international airport
Sydney is soon going to have a second international airport. It will be located at Badgerys Creek, about 50 km west of the city's heart. The announcement comes 70 years after the project was first proposed; successive governments kept promising to work on it. The existing airport, 8 km south of Sydney, is reeling under excessive pressure amid increased demand.
New airport will create thousands of jobs, profit the economy
PM Malcolm Turnbull said the government would take up the "vitally important project" worth $3.8bn after the operator of the existing airport, the Sydney Airport Group, refused citing financial risks. "(The new airport) is expected to deliver 9,000 new jobs to western Sydney by the early 2030s," he said, adding it will inject over $1.43bn "during the construction phase alone".
Airport expected to be operational from 2026
Work has started on upgrading of roads connecting the new airport to the city. A study is underway to assess rail needs. On-site construction will kick off in 2018, and operations will likely start by 2026. It will have an annual capacity of 10mn passengers.
Planned airport mired in controversies
According to parliamentary papers, the need for such a project was being debated since the 1940s. There was also disagreement on whether Sydney Airport Group should be allowed to run a second airport; the company had negotiated the first right of refusal for the project back in 2002. Locals are also opposing mass evictions the project will unavoidably cause.
