Sydney's Second Airport Gets Go-Ahead At Last

Australia has given the go-ahead for construction of a second airport in Sydney, as the existing Kingsford Smith airport nears capacity.

The decision ends decades of political indecision over the project that is expected to handle 10 million passengers initially.

“The need for an airport in western Sydney has been screamingly obvious for many years," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

The chosen site at Badgerys Creek to the west of the city had already been selected, with previous governments setting aside land for the project, but no final decision made.

Initially one runway will be built, with a second to follow when traffic warrants it. The runway will be able to handle the Airbus A380, the largest commercial airliner currently flying.

The airport is scheduled to open in the mid-2020s, just as the existing airport is projected to run out of capacity at peak times.