Badgerys Creek progresses as debate continues

Badgerys Creek progresses as debate continues
By admin


Plans for a second airport for Sydney have moved forward with the Australian Government’s appointment of a business adviser for the project, as airline bosses debated the proposed facility at the CAPA Airport Innovation Summit.

Ernst & Young has been engaged to provide business adviser services for the Western Sydney Airport Project, and will bring together a number of firms with specialist aviation, design and commercial expertise to progress the development.

“Ernst & Young's role as the business adviser will be integral to the work of the government's Western Sydney Unit,” deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure and regional development Warren Truss said.

“They will help to build the business case and develop the airport design concepts for the Western Sydney's airport infrastructure. The project is about developing the infrastructure for the 21st century and creating new economic opportunities for the region.”

The announcement comes as Tigerair Australia chief executive Rob Sharp expressed the low cost carrier’s support for a second Sydney airport, and his own belief that there is adequate demand in Western Sydney for the proposed facility at Badgerys Creek.

“It makes sense ultimately to have an airport there and we will support that and we will fly to that demand,” he told the CAPA Airport Innovation Summit.

Also speaking at the conference, Jetstar Australia and New Zealand chief executive David Hall said the airline, which has historically operated to a number of secondary airports, was assessing whether Badgerys Creek could fit within its own network.

“I think it offers a value proposition and once we work through about the size and so forth we will look at what is best for our customer base,” he said.

Back in April, following the government's naming of Badgerys Creek as the preferred site for Sydney's second airport, Qantas gave the decision its backing with chief executive Alan Joyce describing it as a “vital piece of economic infrastructure”

Construction is scheduled to start in 2016.

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