Sydney could welcome a second airport after the city’s existing facility has been scrutinised for not being able to cope with passenger forecasts.
Sydney Airport is set to take-off in the coming years and is expected to hold nearly 79 million passengers a year by 2090; nearly double its current passenger numbers.
An Access Economics report on Sydney Airport’s draft master plan is expected to kick-start plans for a second airport after raising concerns it has underestimated spending for expansion projects.
In response to draft master plans for the airport, a Sydney Airport spokesman told Architecture&Design the facility will be able to handle the forecast growth.
“The Preliminary Draft Master Plan shows how Sydney Airport will sustainably manage the forecast growth in airline travel,” he said.
Terminals, hangars, freight facilities and car parking facilities will all be progressively upgraded over the next 20 years to expand the space and accommodate more people, he said.
The plan tags an area of 120,000sq m for commercial developments in the International Precinct, including new retail services, hotels and multi-level car parking.
However, while some remain optimistic the plan will cater for the passenger increase, others say it will not go far enough.
The Board of Airline Representatives is calling on the Federal government to fast-track plans to develop a second Sydney airport and has submitted a request the federal minister for transport.
The minister is also expected to deliver a formal response to the airport’s draft plan by the end of this week.
