Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) is moving into its final testing and operational readiness phase ahead of a planned opening in the second half of 2026. The greenfield airport at Luddenham is the first major airport built in Australia in more than 50 years and is intended to address long-term aviation capacity constraints across the Sydney basin.

The airport will open as a full-service international, domestic and freight facility with a single runway and terminal capable of handling up to 10 million passengers annually. Initial throughput is expected to be around five million passengers per year, with staged expansion planned to reach approximately 82 million passengers annually by the early 2060s.

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Key Points

• Opening planned for late 2026 following testing and operational readiness activities.
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• AU$5.3 billion Australian Government equity investment delivered through Western Sydney Airport Corporation.
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• Initial single runway and terminal, with long-term expansion to four terminals and a second runway.
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• Designed for 24/7 operations with no curfew due to long-protected surrounding land.
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• One of Australia’s largest non-mining bulk earthworks programs, moving more than 26 million cubic metres of material.
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• More than AU$500 million in contracts awarded to approximately 360 Western Sydney businesses.

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Project Significance

WSI is positioned as a capacity-relief and economic-development project for Greater Sydney. With aviation demand forecast to double over the next two decades, the new airport will operate alongside Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport rather than replace it.

Beyond aviation, the project anchors the Western Parkland City and Aerotropolis program, linking transport, housing, employment and industry planning across a 20-year intergovernmental partnership.

From a project management perspective, WSI is notable for its greenfield scale, multi-package EPC delivery model and long-term staged capacity planning aligned to demand forecasts.

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Further Details: Delivery Model, Integration and Interface Risk

Western Sydney Airport Corporation is responsible for building and operating the airport, with the Australian Government acting as regulator and retaining responsibility for flight path design, environmental approvals and biodiversity offsets.

A delivery-partner model has been adopted, with Bechtel providing project definition and delivery partner services across five major work packages: earthworks, airside, terminal, landside and technology. The program has implemented a data-centric project management framework using BIM, digital engineering and drone-based monitoring to support schedule, cost and safety controls.

The bulk earthworks package alone represents one of the largest non-mining earthworks programs in Australia and underpins all subsequent airside and landside construction. Major enabling works include a 3.7-kilometre runway, taxiways, trunk drainage and bio-retention systems designed to support long-term precinct expansion.

The airport’s success is dependent on synchronised delivery of enabling infrastructure, particularly the M12 Motorway and the Sydney Metro Greater West line, both scheduled to open with the airport. This creates a high degree of interface and dependency risk across multiple agencies and contractors.

Sustainability planning has been embedded at precinct scale through an integrated water cycle “greenprint”, incorporating recycled water, stormwater harvesting, constructed wetlands and green corridors to support biodiversity, liveability and urban heat mitigation.

While construction is progressing toward the 2026 opening milestone, the program remains exposed to typical megaproject risks, including contractor interface management, demand uncertainty driving staged investment decisions, and the complexity of coordinating transport, utilities and land-use development across a multi-decade city-shaping program.

For government, WSI is a nation-building infrastructure investment with significant economic and employment implications. For project professionals, it provides a live case study in greenfield megaproject governance, digital delivery at scale and integrated infrastructure planning, where long-term program alignment will be as critical as achieving the day-one operational milestone.