The Australian Government has embarked on one of the country’s most significant infrastructure projects in decades. The AU$5.3 billion (US $4 billion) Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is set to be a world-leading modern airport that puts people at the centre of its design. Western Sydney International will be a full-service international, domestic and freight airport from the start of operations in late 2026.
The transformative project will not only provide a boost to Sydney’s long-term aviation capacity but will also act as a catalyst for economic development, creating high-quality jobs and business opportunities across the region.
Building for the future
Western Sydney Airport (WSA) is committed to building an airport for Western Sydney’s future, and one that engages with the industry on innovative solutions to promote sustainability and minimize the impact on the environment. Sustainable design, energy efficiency and circular economy principles are key considerations for the airport design.
This once-in-a-generation infrastructure project is ensuring local people from a diverse range of backgrounds will play a significant role in its creation. During construction, at least 30%, and during operations 50% percent, of the project team will come from the surrounding areas. At least 10% of the team will be from diverse backgrounds, including 2.4% being Indigenous employees.
Bechtel serves as Delivery Partner for the project and is part of an integrated team that will take this remarkable project from design through to operational readiness. We bring our global experience delivering some of the world’s most complex and innovative aviation projects, both greenfield and brownfield, to add value to every stage of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) process.
This includes data-centric project delivery like digital twinning that will address future needs and technological changes and solutions – improving project delivery, progress reporting, and providing opportunities to better leverage Digital Engineering (BIM) and Information Management for stakeholder engagement and information operations. The use of these digital technologies allows for a safer, more adaptable, more efficient, more sustainable airport. The airport will also use the latest industry-leading technology to deliver a seamless, stress free experience for passengers and airlines.
Partnership
From 2018 through to early 2021, Bechtel also served in the Project Manager (Definition) role supporting WSA in determining the design requirements for all aspects of the Stage 1 development of the airport including all necessary Airside, Terminal and Landside facilities together with the required supporting utilities to enable safe, secure and reliable operation. We worked in partnership with WSA to manage the development of the design scope, schedule, administer the technical service provider contracts, external stakeholder management, interface management through during design definition, and support WSA in developing its business requirements.
Key facts
- 10 million passengers per year opening capacity, and set to become one of the largest gateways to Australia
- 4,398 acres (1,780 hectares): airport site area
- 2.3 mile (3.7 kilometer): single-runway, with provisions for a second runway to reach the long-term design capacity of 82 million passengers by the 2060s.
- 882 million cubic feet (25 million cubic meters) of earth movements
