Construction of Sydney’s first 24-hour airport has hit a major milestone with the completion of its new runway, as well as a number of other key airside facilities.
The works, which have been carried out by a CPB Contractors/ACCIONA Joint Venture, also involved the completion of the Airside Civil and Pavement Works package (ACP), which was overseen by Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport’s (WSI) delivery partner, Bechtel.
The ACP package also included the design and construction of the taxiway pavements, aircraft pavement markings, airside roads, surface water drainage, airside security fencing and overall landscaping in addition to the site’s runway and lighting.
WSI CEO, Simon Hickey, said:The work to build our runway and supporting airside facilities has been years in the making – during which workers have literally moved mountains to create a modern, technology-enabled airfield that will soon welcome planes and passengers.
Our runway will be equipped with modern technology and our rapid exit taxiways mean WSI’s average taxing time will be around five minutes, significantly shorter compared to other airports around the world, which will get people home and away faster.
The site has been transformed to build our 3.7km runway, equipped with approximately 3,000 aeronautical ground lights and 348 high intensity approach lights, which will cater for up to 10 million annual passengers from day one of operations next year.
Part of our runway certification also involved a Piper PA-30 Twin Engine Comanche aircraft successfully completing multiple take offs and landings on our runway in October last year to ensure the lighting and technology systems were operating effectively
WSI is currently on track to open for all flight services by 2027, and is expected to process more than 80 million passengers per year.
