PT World - Sept 2025
Elizabeth Baker
29 September 2025
Simon Hickey, CEO of Western Sydney International Airport, gives PTW a peek behind the curtain at the creation of the first greenfield international airport in Australia in more than 50 years
International airport construction projects are often Herculean tasks. Greenfield projects perhaps even more so. Immense scale, complexity and cost will do that to a reputation. Yet the A$5.3bn (US$3.5bn) Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) project is the exception that proves the rule. Despite having approximately 100,000m2 of internal floor space and 136,000m2 of airside aircraft pavement apron, Australia’s greenfield airport megaproject was delivered almost seven months early and within budget.
Rising out of the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains area of Luddenham, and designed for long-term growth, WSI is expected to become Australia’s largest international gateway by 2063. With future expansion and the addition of a second runway and eventual fourth terminal, the airport could handle over 80 million passengers annually, on par with global hubs like Hong Kong International and London Heathrow.
“Even on a global scale, developing a major greenfield airport is a rare undertaking,” muses Simon Hickey, CEO of WSI. “In Australia, it hasn’t occurred in more than 50 years. That’s why WSI is the future of aviation in Sydney. Aviation and technology have advanced immensely in that time. We’ve harnessed this opportunity and embraced the airport’s transformative potential for the region and nation.”
