Western Sydney Airport

Western Sydney Airport (IATA: WSI, ICAO: YSWS), also known as Badgerys Creek Airport or Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport, is an international airport under construction in Luddenham and Badgerys Creek, New South Wales, located 44 km (27 mi) from the Sydney central business district. Together with the development of surrounding areas, it is a key part of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis plan. Expected to initially open to cargo flights by 26 July 2026, and to be fully operational by 25 October 2026, the airport will be operated by Western Sydney Airport Co Limited (WSA Co). The airport is planned to have 24-hour and curfew-free operations and will supplement Sydney Airport, which has reached capacity due to a legislated curfew and flight caps. It will also be the first major airport in Australia to not have an air traffic control tower on site. The site of the airport was officially designated by the federal government on 15 April 2014, after decades of debate on the location of another airport within Greater Sydney. The airport will be constructed in stages. Stage 1 consists of a single 3.7-kilometre (2.3 mi) runway and a single integrated international and domestic terminal, which is expected to handle up to 10 million annual passengers. Construction of Stage 1 began on 24 September 2018, and major construction was completed in June 2025. Future stages of the airport are expected to begin after Stage 1, and will include an expanded or additional terminal and a second parallel runway. This will allow the airport to handle approximately 82 million annual passengers by 2063. History Operating since 1919, Sydney Airport is one of the world's oldest airports. Located only 8 km (5 mi) from the city centre, the airport site is now hemmed in on three sides by urban growth and on the fourth side by Botany Bay. The aforementioned reasons mean that expansion of Sydney Airport is highly difficult, as to expand the field, large areas of land need to be reclaimed from the sea or gathered through land expropriation and suburb demolitions, both of which are extremely costly solutions. There have thus been various proposals to build a second airport for Sydney since the 1960s. The federal government announced in February 1986 that Badgerys Creek had been chosen as the location for a second major airport for Sydney. The federal government then undertook a series of land acquisitions for the site, primarily during the period 1986 to 1991, and spent approximately A$170 million. The resulting site totalled 1,780 hectares (4,400 acres). However, following the purchase, the decision was made by the government that construction of a third runway at Sydney Airport was more appropriate, and all work on the site was halted. The runway, which was built on reclaimed land, was opened in 1994. Despite the expansion, concerns remained that Sydney Airport would run out of capacity by 2030, especially since the introduction of strict night flying restrictions in 1995. Planning for a second airport thus began again in earnest in 2008. A 3,200-page joint Federal/NSW study released in 2012 concluded that Badgerys Creek was "clearly the best site for a much-needed second airport for Sydney" and recommended that planning should start. On 15 April 2014, the federal government announced that Badgerys Creek would be the site of the Second Sydney Airport. In September 2018, construction works began at the Badgerys Creek Airport site. On 4 March 2019, the federal government announced that the airport would be named Nancy Bird Walton International Airport in honour of the Australian aviator Nancy Bird Walton. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian stated that the naming is an "absolutely inspiring choice" as the name for the new airport. Prime minister Scott Morrison stated that "we now recognise Australia's greatest female aviation pioneer" in the naming of the airport, and members of Walton's family stated that they were "extremely excited and thrilled, and it's just a huge honour" for their mother and grandmother. On 10 December 2020, a light aircraft made an emergency landing on earthworks at the construction site, which was the airport's first arrival. The first official arrival at the airport took place on 2 October 2024, being a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche registered as VH-8MN. In July 2025, WSA Co proposed to have the airport precinct designated as a separate suburb known as Cabrogal, named after the Cabrogal people of the Dharug nation based in the Cumberland Plain area. The proposal is subject to approval by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. The airport is scheduled to open for regular freight service on 26 July 2026, when Texel Air Australasia will begin using the freight precinct. Regularly scheduled passenger services will follow from 25 October 2026, the first domestic flight to depart the airport for Gold Coast at 11am operated by Jetstar. Air New Zealand is scheduled to commence international services from Auckland to WSI on 26 October 2026, the first international services to operate from the airport. Geography The airport is situated 44 kilometres (27 mi) west of the Sydney CBD and 41 km (25 mi) west of Sydney Airport. The site lies 13 kilometres (8 mi) south of the City of Penrith CBD and approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the City of Campbelltown CBD. The Township of Luddenham is located adjacent to the airport, 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the runway. The airport stands within 7 kilometres (4 mi) of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, sparking serious concerns about declared wilderness, wild rivers, amenities, World Heritage status, and the City of Blue Mountains economy. The site is within the City of Liverpool local government area and consists of approximately 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of Commonwealth land that was acquired between 1986 and 1991. Legislation The Airports Act 1996 (Cth) s 6 enables the development and use of an airport, known as Sydney West Airport. The Airport Plan released by the Commonwealth Government in December 2016 notes that the airport is referred to in the Act as Sydney West Airport is commonly known as Western Sydney Airport, and is officially known as Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport; named in honour of Nancy Bird Walton, the youngest Australian woman to gain a pilot's licence. Economy The Federal Government claimed the initial construction phase is expected to generate around 4,000 jobs, and the airport development is expected to create 35,000 jobs by 2035, increasing to 60,000 jobs over time. Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed that the airport would "create 11,000 jobs during construction" and "28,000 within its first 5 years". However, such claims were contradicted by the 2017 labour market analysis commissioned by the Government. The analysis states that the airport is predicted to directly support 3,231 jobs during construction over eight years, 13,169 from the airport combined with a business park during the first five years of operation, and 24,046 from the combined airport and business park over the following ten years. The Western Sydney Aerotropolis is the land use town planning package that will involve re-zoning and development plans that apply to land around the airport, which will be known as the Western Parkland City. The Aerotropolis will become a thriving economic centre in Western Sydney. Benefiting from its proximity to the new airport, the Aerotropolis will contribute towards 200,000 new jobs in the Western Parkland City and become a high-skill jobs hub across aerospace, defence, manufacturing, healthcare, freight and logistics, agribusiness, education, and research industries. Flight paths On 19 October 2015, the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) was released by the Turnbull government. This statement outlined the proposed flight paths for Western Sydney Airport from the initial opening in the mid-2020s and flight paths for an international expansion. The draft EIS showed incoming flights merging approximately 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) over the Blue Mountains town of Blaxland which already lies at an altitude of 234 metres (768 ft). Unlike Sydney airport, no 'flight sharing' was proposed to reduce noise impacts on individual suburbs. Instead, flight paths followed a single loop turning either southwest or continuing southeast after the Blaxland merge point, then either northeast or southwest towards Badgerys Creek. The height started at 1,266 metres (4,154 ft) above ground level over Blaxland, with the southwest path descending over the World Heritage-listed national park, declared wilderness, declared wild rivers, and Warragamba Dam, until reaching 457 metres (1,499 ft), over the township of Warragamba and descending towards the airport over Wallacia, Greendale, Silverdale and Luddenham before landing. The southeast path descended over Glenbrook, Lapstone, Emu Plains, Penrith, and St Marys, reaching 457 metres (1,499 ft) over Erskine Park then 381 metres (1,250 ft) over the Twin Creeks and Sydney Science Park housing estates before landing. Assessment of noise impacts was based solely on these flight paths. After an extensive community backlash and as a measure to retain her seat of Macquarie, Liberal Louise Markus and the Coalition government announced a scrapping of the Blaxland merge point. The final EIS, released on 15 September 2016, revealed that the flight paths, although remaining the same, were marked as 'indicative only'. A consistent message portrayed to the public since then is that the flight paths are unknown, will not be released, noise impacts will not be assessed, nor community consultation undertaken until after construction of the airport. Markus lost her seat at that election, with a swing against her of 9.2 percent, the first time that Macquarie had not been a 'bellwether' seat. In June 2023, the proposed flight paths were released with an interactive online map displaying the predicted noise impacts. Noise insulation grants will be available for some residents. On 9 July 2026, the updated airspace changes around the Sydney Basin to support the operation of Western Sydney Airport came into effect. The Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995 specifies that the exemption that allows BAe-146 freight aircraft to operate at Sydney Airport during its curfew period will cease when Western Sydney Airport is able to be used for night aircraft movements. Construction The airport is being built in phases, with the initial construction phase building a smaller airport with a single runway. The cost of the initial development was estimated at A$2.4 billion (as of 2012) and would generate 4,000 jobs. The government planned that the initial phase would be complete and operational by 2025, though this was later delayed to 2026. Sydney Airport Corporation, the operator of Sydney Airport, was given the right of first refusal to build and operate any second airport in an agreement reached with the government when Sydney Airport was sold in 2002. Sydney Airport declined the offer to build and operate the airport on 2 May 2017. Construction of Stage 1 include: a single 3.7-kilometre (2.3 mi) runway (05/23, to be 05L/23R in the future) terminal aprons, taxiways, and other appropriate aviation facilities a terminal with a floor area of up to 90,000 square metres (970,000 sq ft) car-parking facilities for around 11,500 cars, and on-site roads and utilities Timeline Development milestones Construction timeline Future expansions Stage 1, opening in 2026, is expected to be able to handle a capacity of up to 10 million annual passengers. Demand for the airport is expected to reach 37 million annual passengers by 2050, which would then require a second parallel runway. The airport is then expected to reach its ultimate capacity of 82 million annual passengers by 2063. To handle the future growth and capacity, future stages of the airport are expected to include: Expansion of the terminal building or additional terminals Second parallel runway (05R/23L) at the southern side of the airport precinct, to be located approximately 1,900 metres (6,200 ft) from the first runway (05L/23R) Airlines and destinations Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar became the first airlines to reach a commercial agreement with WSA Co on 8 June 2023. Qantas and Jetstar aircraft would be based there within a year of opening, with projected destinations to include Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast. Singapore Airlines was the first international airline to announce plans to serve the airport, with nonstop flights to and from Changi Airport; its daily service using Airbus A350-900 aircraft is scheduled to commence 23 November 2026, taking advantage of the airport's curfew-free operations to offer a late-night departure from Sydney. Passenger Cargo Qantas' cargo subsidiary, Qantas Freight, will utilise the new 24-hour cargo precinct being constructed on the southern side of the airport, commencing on the evening of 27 July 2026. Texel Air will begin its cargo operations out of the airport on 26 July 2026, becoming the first airline to operate out of the airport. Ground transport Road With the designation of the site as the location of Sydney's second airport, announcements were made on new and upgraded transport links to the airport and the surrounding areas of western Sydney. Known as the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, it included: A new M12 east-west motorway to the airport, around the current alignment of Elizabeth Drive between the M7 Westlink Motorway and The Northern Road Upgrading of The Northern Road (A9) to a minimum of four lanes from Narellan to the M4 Western Motorway Upgrading of Bringelly Road to a minimum of four lanes between The Northern Road and Camden Valley Way All projects of the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan were completed prior to the airport opening, with the M12 motorway opening on 14 March 2026. Public transport Rail In 2018, the federal and state governments announced the development of stage 1 of the North South Rail Link, now referred to as Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport, as part of the Western Sydney City Deal. The rail project involves the construction of a 23-kilometre (14 mi) line as part of the Sydney Metro system. The line will operate between St Marys station on the existing T1 Western Line, including a new interchange with the Main Western railway line, and Bradfield station. Services will stop at the Airport Terminal and Airport Business Park stations within the airport precinct. Construction of the line commenced in December 2022 and was expected to be complete in late 2026, in time for the opening of the airport. However, it has been reported that operations may not commence until 2027. The state government later announced that between the airport opening and metro opening, services would be provided by a free interim bus service between the airport and St Marys. Bus New express bus routes to the airport precinct were announced in March 2018, running from Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown. Five of these bus routes were later announced in August 2025, and will be: 772: Mount Druitt to WSI via St Clair 790: Penrith to WSI via Kingswood 825: Liverpool to WSI via Bonnyrigg 845: Campbelltown to WSI via Oran Park and Bradfield 860: Liverpool to WSI via Leppington and Bradfield In March 2026, it was announced that the bus services would begin on 5 July 2026. A free temporary shuttle bus service called "WSI Link" will operate between St Marys and WSI, starting at the same time as passenger services and running until the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport opens. WSI Link is separate from the regular bus services. Criticism The location of the airport has been criticised over the lack of public transport options and the distance to the Sydney CBD with some comparisons to the former Montréal–Mirabel International Airport in Montreal, Canada. It is projected by WSA Co according to the 2025–2045 Preliminary Draft Master Plan, that the majority of passengers are projected to travel to and from the airport using private vehicles. Western Sydney Airport has also been criticised for the lack of confirmed agreements with airlines pre-opening and lack of facilities around the airport and at the projected Bradfield City Centre. Controversy Leppington Triangle corruption investigation On 31 July 2018, the Commonwealth Government purchased a 12.26-hectare (30.3-acre) triangular parcel of land in Bringelly, adjacent to the site of the airport. The A$29.8 million land purchase was for a portion of a second runway, expected to be needed after 2050. Eleven months after the purchase, the parcel of land was valued at just $3.1 million, triggering an investigation by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). For the purposes of realigning The Northern Road, the NSW Government acquired an adjacent 1.363-hectare (3.37-acre) portion of the Leppington Triangle for A$149,000; a land value 22 times less per hectare than that paid by the Commonwealth Government for its portion. The ANAO found serious shortcomings in the Commonwealth's acquisition processes, including that: the government did not exercise appropriate due diligence in its acquisition and fell short of ethical standards an appropriate acquisition strategy was not developed the approach taken to valuing the land was inappropriate decision-makers were not appropriately advised on the land acquisition the incomplete advice provided to decision-makers and the inadequate response when questions were raised by the ANAO were inconsistent with effective and ethical stewardship of public resources. Subsequent to this, the Australian Federal Police announced that they were investigating potential corruption related to the land deal. The investigation closed in 2021 with no evidence of criminal conduct being found. See also List of airports in Greater Sydney References External links Project site Western Sydney Rail Study site Archived 19 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine Final EIS Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport Airspace and flight path design Residents Against Western Sydney Airport