The Guardian
Eliaz Visontay
08 June 2025
Victoria’s Avalon has struggled to take wing, but some project Sydney’s new 24-hour, high-tech airport will one day match Heathrow for passenger numbers
It has been talked about for decades, and a year and a half out from its opening, Western Sydney International is looking more and more like an airport.
Last week, press gathered to mark the completion of its runway.
Standing on the freshly laid runway, the airport CEO Simon Hickey last week said most of the construction of the airport itself had now been completed. Western Sydney International was on budget and on track to open by the end of 2026, he said.
Most of the task ahead lies in bolstering roads on the so-called “land side” – as opposed to the airfield – but most of the works will be filling out the rest of the airport precinct, which includes a business park, cargo area and the broader Bradfield city being planned by government authorities.
