A new Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) report details a three-stage plan to cater for Sydney’s growing aviation needs, including lifting the current cap at Sydney Airport, increasing the use of Bankstown and Newcastle airports, and committing to Badgerys Creek as the site for Sydney’s secondary airport.
TTF chief executive John Lee said the report, Sydney’s Aviation Future: Meeting the Challenge of Growing Demand, outlines short, medium and long-term options to manage the rising demand for flights to and from Australia’s largest city.
“The number of people flying to and from Sydney is forecast to double over the next twenty years and continue to grow beyond that time, and we simply cannot afford to put off the hard decisions any longer without having a serious impact on the New South Wales economy,” Mr Lee said.
“Bipartisanship and political courage are urgently needed to solve this 50-year dilemma once and for all.
“In the short term, the priority must be to maximise the efficient use of SydneyAirport, including lifting the cap and slot allocations from 80 to 90 movements per hour, with priority given to quieter aircraft for those additional slot allocations.
“Advances in aeronautical technology mean that larger, modern aircraft are far quieter than previous generations, meaning a far lower aircraft noise impact on surrounding areas, while utilising new air traffic management systems can also help with aircraft noise abatement.
“In the medium term, restrictions on passenger services at Newcastle and Bankstown airports should be relaxed to allow those facilities to provide addition aviation capacity for the Sydney region, as well as improving access to air travel for residents and businesses in those locations.
“Allowing more flights to these airports will free up slots at SydneyAirport that can be used for larger aircraft.
“However, these measures will not be sufficient to negate the need for a secondary Sydney airport, and we are calling on both sides of politics to commit to using the federal government-owned land at Badgerys Creek as the site of Sydney’s secondary airport.
“This will not only ensure that Sydney has the ability to cater for rising demand for air travel to and from the city, it will deliver billions in economic benefits to the state and to Australia.
“It will also provide tens of thousands of jobs in south-western Sydney which, as one of Sydney’s growth centres, will house an additional 300,000 people over the next two decades.”
