In case you missed it, Sydney is scoring a new international airport. Based in the suburb of Badgerys Creek, 41 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, the architecturally impressive new Western Sydney Airport (WSI) is set to be able to accommodate 10 million passengers every year when it opens in late 2026 – with plans to grow in line with Western Sydney’s growing population. With capacity to expand and a pre-approved 24-hour licence (unlike Sydney’s existing airport, which works on a curfew to reduce noise pollution for residents), WSI is set to eventually become Sydney’s largest airport, handling more than 80 million passengers every year (a similar size to London’s Heathrow).
So where will all of those passengers be going? This week, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government has authorised the preliminary flight paths for WSI – here’s what we know so far...
The newly announced flight paths are due to arrive in Sydney over suburbs including Botany, Canterbury and Bella Vista, with departing flight paths flying over suburbs including Glenfield, Revesby and Bronte, and most flight paths flying over the Blue Mountains. You can check out the map below and via this link. The next stage in the planning process will involve a detailed design stage led by Airservices Australia, which will involve simulation testing, ongoing safety assessments and community consultation aimed at prioritising operational safety and noise management.
Curious about how the new flight paths will impact your life? The airport has launched an interactive aircraft overflight noise tool, with an address search feature with aircraft overflight and noise information summarised for each location, details of flight frequency, modelled noise impacts for WSI’s preliminary flight paths as the airport grows (up to 2055) and more.
Airservices Australia has confirmed that they’ll be establishing an ongoing community engagement mechanism to monitor and resolve aircraft noise and flight path issues during the early years of WSI’s operation.