Passenger and cargo flights are due to start landing and taking off at Western Sydney International (WSI) in late 2026 after retail spaces are finished and facility testing is complete.
Billed as Australia’s first international, greenfield airport in over 50 years, WSI lies some 40km west of Sydney’s central business district in the formerly rural suburb of Badgery’s Creek, now styled as ‘Aerotropolis’.
WSI is also known as Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, after the pioneering female aviator who went from barnstorming shows to setting up a flying medical service for outback New South Wales in the 1930s.
Australia’s biggest airport by 2063
With one, 3.7km-long runway, the airport will be able to handle 10 million passengers a year when it opens, but it’s designed for expansion.
The company set up by the Australian government to develop and run the airport, WSA Co, plans to make it Australia’s biggest international gateway in the next 40 years, on par with Hong Kong International and London Heathrow.
It aims to add a second runway and more terminals so that WSI can handle 80 million passengers a year by 2063.
With one, 3.7km-long runway, the airport will be able to handle 10 million passengers a year when it opens next year, but there are plans to expand capacity to 80 million a year by 2063 (Image courtesy of Bechtel)That’s nearly twice the volume Sydney’s existing airport can handle. It’s located on Botany Bay close to downtown, and can’t easily expand.
The new airport will anchor major urban development planned for Western Sydney. Work on a 23km westward expansion of the Sydney Metro to the airport and the new city of Bradfield, to the south of WSI, has been underway since 2021.
WSA Co says the Aerotropolis hub will add US$15.6bn to Australia’s GDP by 2060.
Group effort
Bechtel has been delivery partner since 2018, procuring and managing top-tier contractors carrying out packages including earthworks, terminal, runway, landside, and technology.
Multiplex completed the terminal earlier this month. Zaha Hadid Architects and Cox Architecture provided concept design. The as-built design by Woods Bagot prioritised energy efficiency and emissions reduction with natural light and airflow, shading, and a roof that generates electricity and harvests rainwater.
A joint venture of CBP Contractors and Acciona did the earthworks and airside packages, including the runway. This team undertook Australia’s biggest earthworks project outside the mining sector, redistributing 26 million cu m of soil.
The earthworks teams notched up some eye-catching feats, including using 5.5 million tonnes of sandstone from Sydney tunnelling projects in sub-layers for the runway, taxiways, and internal roads.
98% of the water captured on-site was reused for construction, irrigation, and dust suppression. Teams installed 90km of power and fiber optic cable, over 3,000 aviation lights.
A joint venture of BMD Constructions and Seymour Whyte delivered the landside package that included roads, bridges, car parks, utilities, connections to the Sydney Metro and the M12 motorway, and airport facilities buildings.
DXC Technology delivered the enterprise technology, integrating over 60 software platforms, from self-check-in kiosks to security, retail, and office systems.
Fit-for-purpose delivery model
Bechtel and WSI credited the delivery model for the early finish.
“This project epitomises the schedule and budget benefits that come with a fit-for-purpose delivery model with clear roles and accountability,” said Darren Mort, Bechtel’s infrastructure president.
Jim Tragotsalos, WSI’s executive general manager for infrastructure, said the delivery model let the team resolve issues early.
“It meant we could confidently go about establishing WSI as a company to operate the airport knowing that together with Bechtel as our delivery partner, we had experts with hands-on experience to help us navigate the construction complexities, manage schedules and budgets, and set up contractors for success.”
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Multiplex completes terminal for Australia’s new airport Plan approved for Bradfield, Australia’s ‘first new city in 100 years’ Australia invests $620m on western Sydney transportBechtel delivers new Sydney airport 7 months early Global Construction Review.
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