Australia’s WSI (Western Sydney Airport) – on track to be the first fully environmental airport?

First conceived in 2014 (the original idea came in 1946!), and under construction since 2018, the Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) is nearing completion and is scheduled to open before the end of 2026 - potentially offering, in the long run, serious competition to the Kingsford Smith Airport.

Numerous milestones have been reached, including the completion of the runway and then the terminal building in early Jun-2025.

Concurrently, a 20-year Master Plan has been published and is now subject to public scrutiny before finalisation.

Any observer will immediately notice the vast amount of care lavished on the sustainability statement, which encompasses DEI initiatives and concern for 'First Nation' inhabitants, as well as a lengthy environmental section (one of the most comprehensive ever published).

But then, the management of an airport that is currently government-owned, but could yet be sold or leased to the private sector, will be aware that it will become one of the first post-COVID greenfield airports, that there will be intense scrutiny of its targets and achievements in that environmental respect, and that it will inevitably be compared with other new airports in Asia and Europe.