New Sydney airport the long-term solution

The Greens and an airport lobby group have nominated a new airport on the outskirts of Sydney as critical towards easing the city’s growing air traffic flow.

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird announced last week he supported the proposal to expand the existing airport and build a fourth and fifth runway on reclaimed land in Botany Bay. This adds to the existing three proposals to increase Sydney’s air traffic capacity, including using Canberra as Sydney’s second airport, using the existing facilities at Sydney Airport more efficiently and building a new, larger airport outside Sydney.

President of No Aircraft Noise, Allan Rees said: “We think the best thing to do – like a lot of progressive cities around the world have done – is to build a new airport just outside the city and move all the air traffic to that airport.

“You can’t keep expanding an airport in the middle of the city.”

Marrickville Councillor Max Phillips said the Greens share the same stance on the issue. He went one step further, arguing once the new airport is open, Kingsford Smith Airport must be shut down.

“If we didn’t shut down Kingsford Smith Airport, then you would get all the airlines and all the passengers still wanting to fly from Kingsford Smith,” he said.

Mr Phillips disagreed with Sydney Airport’s chairperson Max Moore-Wilton, who said Sydney Airport could cope with air traffic increase by using bigger aircrafts and using existing facilities more efficiently.

“What he is doing is putting the profits of Sydney Airport ahead of the amenities for hundreds of thousands of residents who live under the flight path,” Mr Phillips said. “I think that is a very self-interested proposition.”

“‘More efficient’ means using bigger and noisier aircrafts. It would mean regional flights – the smaller aircrafts, which don’t make much noise – would be shifted to Bankstown or a second airport, and the big four engine aircrafts passing the Inner West more frequently and for longer periods of the day and night.”

As for the proposal to expand Sydney Airport in Botany Bay, Mr Rees labelled it a “ridiculous plan”.

“I don’t think the plan will happen,” he said. “It comes out of a lot of problems with the existing airport. I don’t think people are going to agree to that there would be another eight square kilometres of concrete in Botany Bay.”

Mr Rees disagreed with NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s plan to use the Canberra Airport as Sydney’s second airport because it is too far away. He said the premier has shown appalling planning by approving a housing development near the airport.

“If he really wants it to become Sydney’s second airport, why is he hampering its development by putting housing in its flight path?” Mr Rees said.