UK consulting engineer Arup has been selected to masterplan Western Sydney Airport, a facility to be located in the city’s Badgerys Creek suburb that will handle domestic and international flights.
The airport is due to open in 2026 with an annual capacity of 10 million, although it may add a runway and grow to an 80 million facility by the 2060s.
Arup said the airport would be the centre of a "major business precinct", also including "extensive road and rail links".
Graham Millett, Western Sydney Airport chief executive, said: "We’re pleased to have Arup on board as a key partner in planning an airport that will get the most out of emerging digital technology to streamline customer experience.
"We’re planning for a 5G network across the site and planning needs to consider opportunities for 5G technologies to improve operations. We want it to be easy for people to catch a plane and for airlines to minimise turnaround times for their aircraft – so early planning will be essential to inform the build."
Pre-construction works on the project has already begun.
Image: Sydney Opera House (Wikimedia Commons/David Iliff/CC-BY-SA 3.0)