Australia's $5BN Mega-Airport in the Middle of Nowhere

[@TheB1M]

Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks 👉 www.masterworks.art/theb1m

[@nikhatparween5536]

Hi #TheB1M there are many airports under-construction in India as well so please make a video on Indian construction projects.

[@_Mackan]

Still taking scamworks sponsor money? Must be a pretty long contract...

[@NickIggler1969]

@@_Mackanscam

[@BaseReality]

Is the old airport going to keep operating or will that be shut down eventually?

[@cameronrussell9362]

I have worked on this project as a grader operator for the last 6 year, and its my last day tomorrow. It has been a epic project and I'm looking forward to not having to drive to the city for my next holiday. Which is on Sunday, straight to the Philipines and beyond.

[@JohnDoryPsh]

You guys must be slow as hell.

[@loncesponce6653]

@@JohnDoryPsh That's a bit bloody mean.

[@JohnDoryPsh]

@@loncesponce6653 Aye, I agree. Though I fault the system not the contractors.

[@StewartEvans-e3z]

@@JohnDoryPsh What you need to remember is that all the fill needs to compact to a firm base which can take a year or more. No use in doing it quickly and the foundations or runway ends up with cracking. Brisbane's second runway took 3 years to be ready for construction.

[@mrbbqcraig]

Enjoy your holiday dude 🤟😎

[@Cromwell1940]

Western Sydney Airport is at least 90 minutes from the city; there is no direct fast train, this is no Narita. In a brainwave, the government decided trains will not run 24 hours, so you're stranded if you arrive after 10 PM. You must remember that Australia is a country where politicians cannot think past their next toilet break.

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

Believe it or not but not everyone wants to go to the Central Business District. Most want the suburbs.

[@Ceso123]

@@gusdrivinginaustralia6168agreed, gone are the days that everything revolves around the cbd

[@danielnoujaim8004]

Sydney CBD is disgusting. And They killed the night life. Much to my surprise Blacktown and mount druitt is more modern than CBD

[@robman2095]

Its actually closer than the existing airport for many residents in the western suburbs and a new metro connects it to the existing rail system at St Marys. However many users will be based in the west so won’t need a fast connection to the CBD. People can book a ticket to the old airport nearer the CBD if this one doesn’t suit them. As demand grows the second runway will be built and the metro connection can be extended if required so it has been planned with future growth in mind.

[@sloppynyuszi]

I would compare it to Incheon. No one realises how far that actually is from Seoul. I have left Korea many years ago, so maybe it changed, but it was a regular bus you had to catch. The KTX was only between Busan and Seoul at the time and it went throw Daegoo. I lived in Shanghai too and Pudong Airport wasn’t convenient to the city either. That Maglev only took you halfway. But also Sydney has been developing hard at having other CBDs, and Parramatta as an example is unrecognisable. Right now it has the life of North Sydney, not really a CBD alternative yet, but it’s getting there. But it will help Liverpool grow and Penrith might be relevant.

[@darrylstark9259]

I love it when people buy a house next to an airport and then complain about living next to an airport.

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

People were protesting this airport 40 years ago. People lived in the area.

[@darrylstark9259]

@gusdrivinginaustralia6168 I'm taking about the old airport, not the new one.

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

@darrylstark9259 indeed. Happens with alot of things. Like motor racing circuits. Pubs.

[@darrylstark9259]

@@gusdrivinginaustralia6168 artillery ranges is a local one for me. Turns out some folk don't like being woken up at 2am by a gun line a few miles outside the village.

[@sop1311]

There's a nuclear reactor in Lucas Heights which was built away from residents. You can guess what happened next.

[@wilwick756]

This was sorely needed! When flying back from london, Sydney airport was so busy that my flight was diverted to MELBOURNE to refuel. This is going to be an amazing new development

[@voyeur4994]

And yet could have been mitigated by an airport like Newcastle nearby. It’s about a 10-20min flight away

[@Nicalobocinator]

@@voyeur4994newcastle is also an afb so i dont think upgrading it solely for the purpose of commercial flight is a good idea

[@wilwick756]

​@voyeur4994 I'm sure, but Western Sydney is getting so large it was going to need an airport regardless

[@richardwood9177]

Not without the correct public transport. It will be a white elephant until then. It takes well over an hour to get there. That’s $300+ in a taxi. Poor planning. Airlines are already ripping people off. Just adding to the cost of travel.

[@morganwilliams8680]

Meanwhile in Melbourne we can’t even get a rail link to the airport

[@AussieFaraday2024]

I've been hearing about that as a little girl living in Essendon. I move from Essendon more than 50 years ago! The skybus has a stranglehold on transport, but it's far inferior to a real train. If they just extended from Essendon station 50 years ago, it would have been far cheaper and easier than the modern suggestions.

[@Ryshe20]

Melbourne is worst major airport in Australia. They should knock it down and build a new terminal. And not a replica of the T4 shed either!

[@freefaler]

Yeah, stupidity indeed. The 5 mil. city and no train to the airport :( facepalm!

[@DRATER469]

Vic hasnt had the federal support that NSW or other states have gotten. Its been running on its own steam for ages

[@fjeoijweiojfweio8212]

blame the airport for not wanting to build it, rather keeping their precious little carparks. Moreso, blame whichever previous government sold off the airport and put it into private hands.

[@markleon411]

The really incredible thing about this airport is that it is just a part of a much larger project - Bradfield City which incorporates the Aerotropolis, Metro and M12 motorway.

[@Lazy_Tim]

One day you'll do a video on the Melbourne Airport rail link. One day...

[@Themadmait]

Or Perth's

[@aubreyadams7884]

@@Themadmait Perth's already exists, Melbourne's is still decades away

[@Lazy_Tim]

@@Themadmait Me trying to remember how I got from the airport in Perth to the city 10 years ago. Nope I'm blank.

[@nightowldickson]

It's impressive Sydney managed to build a whole new airport, driverless metro system, westconnex and new stadiums in Moore Park and Parramatta in the last 10-15 years and Melbourne in all that time has been talking about the airport rail link and still haven't started construction on it

[@thebackyardbrewer5611]

😂

[@Mystikbvsn]

I'm from Western Sydney and the fact that no trains will run past 10PM or so to and fro from the airport baffles me. Will probably be implemented later, but it's a shocking decision nonetheless. That said, ive been following the development closely and its only a matter of time before the Airport starts its operations. The area wont be the same. Gonna miss going on late night drives around the A9 when theres barely anyone on the road lol

[@emmett3067]

Vast majoriry of people are neither travelling to or from an airport at 10pm. Most of the traffic from 10pm > 5am will be freight. Which doesn't need trains.

[@Mystikbvsn]

@emmett3067 i understand that. The airport will be operating 24 hours a day, its common sense to have the trains run 24 hours a day too. I'm not suggesting every 4 minutes, but a train every 15 minutes after 12AM or so would do in the early stages. So many factors to consider, I know. But to those people who come to Sydney in an overnight flight, after flying for 12 hours or more, the efficiency of simply hopping aboard a train to get to where they need to be, without having to worry about driving in roads unfamiliar to them, or to go through the hassle of car rentals, or even paying astronomical ridesharing fares.. those trains would be godsend.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

It will not run from between about 1 am to 4 am. Note that you would need to be at the airport an hour to two earlier than departure time, so even a departure at 2 am could still be serviced by a metro closing at midnight. When that is not the case, he bigger issue is not the metro operating hours, but the rest of the transport network not operating either. I did an analysis of 24 hour airports in Australia, and passenger flights arriving/departing between about midnight and 5am are quite uncommon because they are not convenient for travel, or for booking in and out of accommodation. Keep in mind also that only about 20 to 25% travellers use trains/buses for airport trips. Most use 'kiss and ride', cabs/ubers and private mini-buses, or park (especially if its on their company's tab)

[@Car_toz]

I used to live in Penrith. Its nice to see that the place is getting its own airport.

[@michaelpapadopoulos6054]

I read Perth and I thought it was a snarky comment about how far west from the center of sydney the new airport is.

[@Car_toz]

Once you land, it may still be quicker to get to Perth, than Sydney CBD. We will find out.

[@Justyburger]

I lived in Sydney for a few years. A great city. I loved my time there, but the airport was woefully inadequte. The one really great thing about it, was it's proximity to Sydney City. But...the Western Airport couldn't happen soon enough. It will really breathe new life into especially the Western suburbs and it will really soften the traffic congestion that always happens around Sydney Airport. Sydney is a difficult city for infrastructure with all it's inlets and hilly terrain, but The West is more open and easy to develop. The ideal place for a new airport.

[@kidfreejones]

Been watching the build, it's gonna be a busy place in a few years!

[@4a23ziadibnshamimsjis6]

15 th person

[@dooshdashcams2629]

It will be a weird.mix of Westfield and Business Park with perpetual air noise. Plus good old Elizabeth Drive.

[@Ashinle]

Comments section has lots of people complaining unnecessarily. 1. Population is being handled with new housing and mixed use developments. Sydney has one of the lowest densities in the world, it's absurd how many single family houses are near the biggest parts of the city so this is long overdue. 2. The metro will open in 2026 but unfortunately no solid connections yet. At least it'll be a huge boost to what will be Sydney's 3rd CBD. 3. This airport isn't meant to just direct to the CBD, this is a separate space entirely which will connected by a new line in 2032. There are problems but they are being fixed. Very fun and interesting video btw

[@SP-ny1fk]

Unnecessarily? I'll have you know that as Australians complaining is like breathing - very necessary.

[@Ashinle]

@SP-ny1fk Lmao

[@drjanitor3747]

New housing. Sure just sell a few limbs to pay for a deposit.

[@bettysteve322716]

@@drjanitor3747 bastards won't let me sell a kidney, could pay for a home outright.

[@jelqsensei]

I've gotten to tour the site early into construction and very recently too. It's an impressive operation that I think is necessary even excepting for all the recent population growth. Sydney Airport is just too congested and ill-equipped to handle all of the city's aviation traffic. There was a lot of pushback and I've heard whining about the flightpaths but with the exception of some specific areas that will be significantly impacted everyone else is getting a 10 sec a day annoyance.

[@Ethan-zr6ee]

Local residents only moved into the area after the announcement of the airport so they'd get appreciating real estate lol. The airport came first, not them.

[@Danbatio]

And those are the worst NIMBY people.

[@ollie.n1302]

Unfortunately that is not the case. People have lived in the same area of the airport and surrounding suburbs for longer than the announcement of the airport.

[@ting111111]

Oslo did the something similar around 2000. Only we closed the original airport and moved all the traffic to the Newish Airport with two Runways. It was a small airport with only one Runway before that. Also we included a high speed rail service to the airport as well.

[@daniel.s8126]

I live in Sydney. The renders in this video reminded me a bit of Gardermoen. My wife is from Tønsberg, so I always dislike getting there from Gardermoen in the middle of your summer holidays with «buss for tog».

[@caspertucker]

I cam guarantee it is more functional than anything we'll build here...unless what we build here cosr 10x the price. Ridiculous trying to get anything logical done in my country but particularly Sydney - that city will never function properly

[@licencetoswill]

the lack of a control tower is worth a mention

[@Alftura]

As a Aussie, always impressed on how much research you do. Good work! Love ya videos. Keep it up! :-)

[@gwenweight6916]

Though always well presented, that was a summary of three press releases and a wikipedia article. No wonder it takes you guys so long to build an airport in a sheep field.

[@dooshdashcams2629]

Good lord,.it's.copy and paste straight off the owner website

[@FlibDokky]

"as an Aussie," cringe

[@jfmezei]

For a good description of how major Aussie infrastructure projects work, I suggest the documentary "Utopia" (called "Dreamland" in USA). It details the challenges and functioning of the Nation Building Authority in charge of these projects. Very good.

[@mrgreatauk]

The transport options seem pretty poor for a brand new major airport. The train from the airport to St Mary's (far from the centre of Sydney) will apparently take 15 mins, then it's another hour to the centre! Or about an hour to drive the whole way.

[@mgp1203]

NSW government are already working on the Leppington extension to the airport, and leaked documents suggest they want it built I think within the next decade or shortly after. It’s very priority and it should be

[@kentprince4851]

Poor Hoo 😢

[@tacitdionysus3220]

What makes you think most people want to go into the old city? The West is already larger in population, growing faster and with more industry and employment than the rest of Sydney combined. The airport is far from being in the 'middle of nowhere'. It is in fact right in the middle of a semi-circle of connected cities in their own right. For example, Penrith, Blacktown, Liverpool/Fairfield and Camden/Campbellton EACH have populations of well over 200,000 people, all with their own CBDs (some with multiple high rises), major hospitals, university campuses, large industrial areas and so on. And that's just the 'inner ring' of Western Sydney. Fewer and fewer people in the West now 'need' to go into the "city" for almost anything, and with its own airport there will soon be one less reason to do so.. The centre of population of Sydney is nowhere near the harbour, but next to Parramatta and moving westward, Yet people in the traditional parts of Sydney still think of themselves as 'the centre' and Parramatta as being 'way out there in the west'. Reminds me of the old days when Australians still used the British term "The Far East" to describe Asia, when it was really in our Near North. From day one the airport will not only have the WSI Airport Metro (not just an airport shuttle, but a north-south spine for an entire transport system), but direct bus services to all the surrounding western cities, with a second metro directly connecting the"'three cities" of greater Sydney together - harbour (old CBD), river (Parramatta) and parkland (Airport/Aerotropolis). Forget that Western Sydney just happens to be located next to old Sydney, but that it is a city in its own right, and certainly with its own character and attractions, and which (with a major and competitive airport) will increasingly compete directly with other cities (Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide etc) for work and visitors.

[@20121961]

A great video, thanks. I grew up in nearby Penrith, many years ago, and have made my career in airport design, in the UK. Although never involved in this project, unfortunately, I find it extremely interesting. I look forward to visiting home, arriving in WSI, in 2026.

[@robvegas9354]

This one is going to be a winner. The current Sydney airport is no fun on the best of days. Melbourne could really do with another big airport in the eastern area

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

Pakenham

[@petertullemans]

I worked for cox architects during the time that they were working on the initial design stages of western Sydney airport, such an amazing project that I was able to get acquainted with from its early days and now it’s nearly finished!

[@SITENG]

Another great vid 👏👏 Thanks!!

[@Aysthete]

A majority of arrivals to Sydney are from Domestic flights. If there was high speed rail up the east coast, it could easily cut down the number of flights needed into the airport.

[@Gary-vv5gt]

But regardless of high speed train, sydney will still need a new airport as renovating KSA is like putting lipstick on a pig.... a lost cause

[@mgp1203]

Except this is cheaper.

[@nowgettheretravel]

It has been a long wait. The goverment back in the 1980s was talking about building this airport. They also talked about High Speed railway between Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane which hasn't even started construction.

[@mark-ish]

They're prolly still relocating the native snails.

[@AussieFaraday2024]

Without the 24 hour train it will be a bit of an Avalon style white elephant there for a while. I suspect good old Skybus has already got their tentacles into transporting passengers out of there.

[@PeterSivara]

The Metro line is opening at the same time as the airport. It will be 24 hours as well by that point.

[@golinlim2221]

Yea…GOOD LUCK^^ Aussies are *LaZyyy* !!

[@voofongting9083]

*Exact 100%* 👍❤️ As IF They are even able to SUCCEED !!

[@Saalmanzo2]

My Dad worked on the business case for the Western Sydney Airport in 1975. Badgerys Creek (the location chosen) came out on top as the best place to build it. Cue the politicians spending the next 40+ years trying to find a "better" location for it and finally settling on Badgerys anyway...

[@nevmcc3884]

Meanwhile a new international airport at Wellcamp, west of Brisbane was devised and built within 3 years opening around 2015.

[@glooozo]

Western Sydney International Airport brought to you by CMS Surveyors. Another MAJOR project nearing completion

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

8:57 I hope there will be also a fast train service connecting the airport to downtown, otherweise it would be the very same mistake like at Munich Intl Airport in Germany: 2 commuter rail lines where it takes about an hour to get into the city, and no quicker train service serving only the airport. With the commuter rail lines it also gets a bit tight with both people to and from the airport mixing up with local commuters

[@DavidBarwick-hb7eo]

No fast train, only metro to Parramatta then to central, then to Sydney International.

[@mrdozey7361]

If the rail link is past St Mary's even an express train would easily be 45mins+

[@mrdozey7361]

@@DavidBarwick-hb7eo that's easily 1.5 to 2 hrs

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

@@mrdozey7361 that's sad; In case of Oslo Airport in Norway they're running high-speed trains on a 10 minute schedule, taking only 19 minutes to cover the distance In Munich it's half the distance but more than twice the travel time

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

@@DavidBarwick-hb7eo that's bad ...

[@UMBERRRTO1]

Fun fact: there is no tower! All air traffic will be remotely managed by the Sydney Airport by a system of cameras and direct fibre communications

[@Powell2023]

Strange this wasn't covered, I'd heard this somewhere

[@CASA-dy4vs]

Seems a little dangerous if a few crooks do some shenanigans and cut power to the airport knowing how bad youth crimes are in major cities and surrounding areas

[@UMBERRRTO1]

@@CASA-dy4vs Skitzo statement. We live in a safe society here in Australia

[@stronzer59]

People 2day think $5B is a wad of cash but that $5B will be repaid in the 1st year $200 a day parking fees, $40 beers, $120 for a glass of wine, $300 to take a piss

[@fkwithfriezaday]

This is a classic Sydney case of Only cars will get you there

[@theancientsancients1769]

So Mogadishu's new airport will be more expensive than Sydney's new airport? Interesting times we live in

[@louiscypher4186]

That's not surprising given the forethought that's gone into this. For example the airport is in Liverpool a city of 250,000 people. But there will be no rail link to Liverpool. The airport link will be to a suburb to the north of the airport with 13,000 population. In the hopes that people Penrith a city with 220,000 population will use it. Why either of these cities weren't directly connected will remain a mystery. But don't worry after they began construction they realised all their error so they are considering a possible rail expansion to connect to another suburb called Luddenham population 1500 located in between Liverpool and Campbelltown (population 186,000) 😂

[@tacitdionysus3220]

@@louiscypher4186 The airport is surrounded by a semi-circle of 4 city areas with that level of population - Penrith, Blacktown, Liverpool/Fairfield, Camden/Campbelltown. I live in Liverpool. It is the closest and most people there live west of Liverpool's centre, so closer to the airport (ie.most people can board buses en-route). It already has a major arterial road running to the airport (Elizabeth Drive - currently being widened) and the T-way to Parramatta initially runs to the west about half way, before the road it turns off keeps heading directly to the new airport area. Bus services to/from there are fine. The initial metro will connect at St Marys (your 13,000 people), but it connects easily with Penrith to the West and Blacktown to the east (about half a million people). The southern extension of the metro to Oran Park, Narellan and Macarthur will pick up Southern trips to the Airport. Meanwhile, bus services from the south via the four lane A9 are fine. Northern extension of the metro will pick up connections to Schofields and the North West. The second metro (space already left at the airport for it) will run from Sydney Hunter Street through Westmead to the Airport. So essentially, the WSI Airport Metro will pick up traffic from twice the population of Liverpool, and gradually up to several times that amount. Not really a 'mystery'.

[@loncesponce6653]

Watching this all come together whilst flying over the development has been magical. A bit of a shame that it cuts into our Training Area Airspace, but the number of flying jobs the Airport creates is gonna be great for new pilots!

[@PatSmashYT]

What I find strange is that the whole Leppington line isn't going to be extended to the new airport. It would seem logical as it would be way cheaper and would provide a link from the new airport to both the old airport and the city for passengers and freight.

[@daveg2104]

The plan is to link the new airport to Glenfield (or maybe Leppington) probably with an extension of the WSI Airport Metro Line. Also to extend the Metro from Bankstown to Liverpool. It will depend on what option they take as to the missing link from Liverpool to Glenfield/Leppington. Possibly a new Metro line from the new airport to Parramatta. All that is well in the future though. And there was no way the previous government was going to extend any Sydney Trains lines to the new airport.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

Extending a Sydney Trains line (SW Link) beyond Leppington to the Airport looks attractive at first glance, but isn't. The metro uses higher frequencies with smaller trains, meaning much cheaper tunnel and station construction costs. The lines it connects with at Glenfield are also already heavily used and their capacity to also provide regular services to the airport are limited. It might also mean duplication or metrofication of the lines through Leppington and Edmondson (significant extra expense). There is also value in keeping the existing ST services through the SW Link (if not they would need to terminate on the already busy Campbelltown/Macarthur lines, and could also continue to use the Leppington depot/stabling facility) There will no doubt be a link of some sort. There are a number of ways of doing it and corridors are being acquired for it. My best guess is the WSI Airport metro will be what it is designed to be - a north-south spine for a Western Sydney transport system. That means it would not be diverted to run to Glenfield itself, but link with a surface extension of the SW Link, probably around Bringelly. Passengers going south to Oran Park, Narellen and Macarthur would stay on the metro, Passengers going to Glenfield and beyond would use a (probably cross-platform exchange) to the much less frequent SW Link Services.

[@gratitude6573]

In Queensland we’d build it for $25 billion with help from the CFMEU. The cost blow out would increase that to total $53 billion.

[@ActualDav]

Knowing Australia, there will never be a fast connection to the CBD so most international passengers will do their best to avoid.

[@ozzy1280]

Lets goooo! I was waiting for you to make a video on WSI. I live 15 mins away and I'm so excited to have access the world, so close to home.

[@dooshdashcams2629]

Mamre Road will be hell

[@sayhity91]

It’s so annoying how residents who want the country’s economy to go up are not willing to put up with a new airport. They’re always against them…like chill. It’s not the end of the world. And it helps the far MANY then just you. You don’t like it, move. You have years of warning ahead.

[@graham2954]

The best thing airport the existing airport (apart from any of the departure lounges) was you could get a helicopter tour of the city from there. Highly recommend. Takes about a day to get to the airport but you are over the CBD in about 5 minutes in a helicopter.

[@Notthecobracommander]

I flew into Sydney this year. It was a good airport as long as the new airport has room for expansion beyond just 2 runways and the big terminal it will do fine don’t make the same mistake as London Heathrow have at least enough space for four runways in the future. Like soul Inchon phases of expansion.

[@mgp1203]

Yeah they’re planning for four runways but two for now until there’s more demand

[@Hiddensecret9]

The M12 motorway is being developed to provide direct road access between the airport and Sydney's motorway network, facilitating efficient ground transportation.

[@ricardodelzealandia6290]

Hardly an answer to our aviation nightmare. This is probably, at least for a decade, going to be a nightmare, because: 1) they're not shutting down the Sydney airport and have shown through flight noise models that aircraft noise will increase in the surrounding suburbs; 2) They haven't planned any fast transport in or out of the airport. Currently the transport in and out is of the stop-at-all-stations variety. So getting in and out of the airport is going to be a huge PITA. They need to fix this so the airport is 30 mins from the city via train maximum. Of course, given it's Australia, they'll probably charge passengers roughly what a taxi would cost to get from the city to the airport (approx. 100 AUD), which is what they did with Sydney airport.

[@RyanJacobs496]

Sydney Metro West is currently under construction between the Sydney CBD and Westmead. The approaches to the airport are designed to allow space for Metro West to be extended from Westmead to the Airport with new platforms next to the Airport Business Park Station and the Airport Station.

[@kangwang2659]

I've worked as designer on this project for 3 years. looking forward to seeing its operation on 2026

[@HelloHi-g2u]

I would love to visit Sydney someday, just sad how expensive flights are from North America and Europe, the places I live. 😢 But Australia and New Zealand are so beautiful. Great architecture, people, and wildlife.

[@smokingun397]

Don't bother, there is really nothing here worth spending all that money on. You can see Kangaroos and Koalas in the Zoo which is most likely the only way you will see them if you come here.

[@Jnoooooo]

​@@smokingun397 what a stupid, unhelpful comment. OP - save up and come here someday - we live in a remarkable, diverse and beautiful country and you'll be welcome anytime!

[@smokingun397]

@@Jnoooooo Whether you think it's stupid or not it's absolutely correct. If being 'diverse' is the best you can come up with I rest my case 🙂

[@jonnies]

@@HelloHi-g2u We’d love you to visit. Hopefully the new airport might make it that little bit more economical for some people.

[@kovaci0000007]

@@smokingun397 You should go move North Korea

[@philscott7949]

The urgent return policy for aircraft in distress is interesting. Normally they would fly over the ocean and dump fuel to make them light enough to stop before the end of the runway. For WSI, fuel dumping will be into Sydney's main water supply at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

That's not accurate. Fuel dumping is fairly rare, is an over ocean or not sensitive area activity. It is done because the maximum take-off weight of aircraft is higher than their maximum landing weight (landing places greater stress on aircraft than takeoff). So dumping fuel is to reduce the weight to reduce the landing stresses. Usually it will make the landing distance shorterL, but that's not usually the deciding issue, especially on a 3.7 km runway such as at WSI. Have bushwalked and fought fires in the Blue Mountains for decades. The biggest threat comes from the residents of the area. Most of the development in the mountains is on ridge tops, The contamination from domestic runoff and occasional spills is what made drinking water directly from the streams below untenable about 50 years ago. Most of the catchment area is away from such development and is restricted in access. Aircraft engines are particularly fuel efficient and normal flying over such areas would have negligible effect, especially compared with conventional surface traffic using roads across the mountains.

[@GeekyMedia]

Awesome video guys. The interior of the terminal looks great, but the outside looks a bit drab, right?? 😂😬

[@JohnDoryPsh]

Well, Aussies were involved, so what did you expect? Couldn't get the Opera House sorted and that's about the only building anyone recognizes.

[@lours6993]

Dumb as dirt! SYD-MEL is THE highest revenue generating city pair IN THE WORLD. Flights in both directions every 15 - 30 mins. Distance is approximately 800km. That is, the same as Paris - Marseille which has 1000 passenger capacity HSR trains in both directions every 30 -60 mins. This airport would never be needed if Australia had had half a brain for strategic thinking (it doesn't), as much of the congestion at SYD is generated by SYD-MEL. The public are brainwashed not to question public funding of roads and air travel but go batshit over spending anything on rail. Oligarchy.

[@Craig-dr7gl]

There are about 1,000 aircraft movements at SYD every day, of which about 60 are to/from MEL. Replace those with rail, you still have a capacity problem & the requirement for an airport without a curfew. HSR is not the magic bullet (pun intended) that you think it is.

[@lours6993]

@@Craig-dr7gl SYD-MEL by HSR also gives you SYD-CBR (very high frequency) and if extended north to BNE you are looking at a significant reduction.

[@ikbenspeedy]

why take a train that takes over 3 times as much time as a flight?

[@Elanshin]

SYD has a bigger problem than passenger aircraft movement. Freight cargo. With the curfew its highly limited for freight but WSI opens that up fully and being able to position the airport next to one of the largest logistics hubs in the country increases efficiency too. The demand for faster parcel services is just going to keep increasing and SYD most certainly won't be able to keep up.

[@j.kapiris]

Another internet expert

[@kovy689]

How does this affect Lebron’s legacy?

[@robertaries2974]

That's a valid query

[@andrecastillo5232]

What does he have to do with this video?

[@Tmax_16]

​@@andrecastillo5232everything.

[@Marc-ww7cc]

Some American meme

[@89itis]

@@andrecastillo5232just a joke my man, just a joke

[@jamesau4296]

3.6 billion dollars this price tag is still pretty budget friendly in aviation industry, it’s just equivalent to 9 A380 at marked price

[@dooshdashcams2629]

It's a 5.3.budget, the spend will amazingly equal the budget, until years later when the under scoping and back ending of cost os revealed. An old trick still working to this day.

[@TheLiamster]

I’m so excited to fly here when I go on holiday

[@WizardsLore]

Hey Fred, this post is timely as Australia is investign heavily into its airports with Perth Airport being tested for a $5bil development also ... Big money on infra....and happy to see it

[@Scknows]

Best channel with the absolute worst sponsor tie-ins

[@Direkin]

Once this is open, what's the plan for the current international airport?

[@isbestlizard]

Sell it off to some mates of the current government for 1% of the true value, so they can make billions of dollars, if past experience proves true

[@StephenFogarty2023]

Business as usual for the current Airport. Sydney population is approx 6 million people Over 2 million people live in the Western areas, which is closer to this airport location 24/7 operating No curfew A lot more cargo and freight City of Canberra has a population of near 500,000 people This new airport location definitely suits them. The new airport is well overdue ! It will be a huge driver of more economic activity etc. The existing airport will continue to operate at very busy levels of activity

[@w2ttsy670]

Melbourne experimented with the idea of a second airport by opening up AAV (Avalon) to passenger traffic and many a number passenger found out the hard way that the connection from AAV to the city was a lot more complicated than from Tullamarine, often offsetting any perceived savings from flying the cheaper routes to Avalon. Unfortunately Australia is well known for the lack of end to end public transports between the city and the airport; instead opting to populate unnecessary carparks and toll roads that are also owned by the conglomerate that own the airports, so I don’t imagine WSI will be a return destination for tourist or business travelers; leaving this a very expensive route for airlines to service.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

Disagree. Western Sydney is not like Avalon. It's the largest and most populated area of greater Sydney and is surrounded by a semi-circle of four cities each with each with well over 200,000 people, with continuous development beyond and between them. The current Sydney airport is inconvenient for people who live in the west. It is also a much more efficient design making flights quicker to turn-around with little taxying time, and less congestion. That translates to faster cheaper flights, which will make it popular with anyone except those with a specific reason to continue to use Sydney Airport, such as living in the east or specifically needing to go to the harbour CBD. WSI Airport will have a Metro train connecting to Sydney's rail system from day One. That will be joined by a second Metro (space already set aside) connecting it to the West Metro (Parramatta CBD and old Sydney CBD) currently under construction. In addition, there will be direct bus connections with the surrounding cities.

[@SP-ny1fk]

It's amazing how affluent suburbs can get a curfew enacted - just like that.

[@voyeur4994]

The funny thing is these suburbs aren’t affluent. They were cheap shitty homes that once were for the common man.

[@dooshdashcams2629]

​@@voyeur4994correct, amazing how some Comments can't grasp that.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

The curfew has been there a long time. The legislation mentioned in the clip s just its most recent iteration.

[@robwashers]

It will be so hot in that airport with that direct sunlight - Thunder dome anyone? two men enter... one man dies of heat stroke

[@thesailman]

Someone correct me, but I count 14 gates from the video. Fourteen gates is a backwater airport. They say they will double it, but 28 gates is medium-small at best. This is not a big airport, yet they spent $5B AUD.

[@daniel.s8126]

Guessing you’re not from here? Australia IS a backwater, compared to USA and Europe.

[@Varocka]

its a country with a pop of 25 million my guy, and a city of only 5m, temper your expectations my guy... also this is running in conjunction with the other sydney airport, not replacing it outright.

[@karni60]

What's the bet they put a train line to the new airport, privatise it and charge each passenger $60 each way.

[@skyscraperfan]

They already rip off passengers at the current airport. The airport has two regular metro stations. So the fare is the normal metro fare. However to access the airport, you have to pay a "gate fee" of AU$20 or so. That's why I prefer stopping one station early and then taking the bus.

[@RobertTycenHauser]

Thank you!! Will they close the old airport? How will the old airport site be developed?

[@Mark_Bridges]

No, there are no plans to close the old airport.

[@winannejanepereira1217]

Damn the editing tho 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@CM-lk6du]

First airport built in Australia on a greenfield site in 50 years? What about Wellencamp International Airport (WTB) in Towoomba?

[@rowanmckeever7347]

Correct, and all of the many new airports built in WA.

[@Eric-jo8uh]

Didn’t know Ikea had air terminal flat packs.

[@fabiencerutti2856]

Is building a new airport really helping reducing greenhouse gas…? I recognize the need but I cant help thinking about the planet… it is a bit scary.

[@DigitalImageStudio]

So long as people can get to the airport easier for holidays it's all good apparently.

[@ComaDave]

03:26 Probably meant the South WEST Pacific. Ain't much in the SE Pacific other than a few scattered islands. Oh, and Cthulhu of course.

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

As ever, an engaging informative video, thank you. Who knew that all those figures and details of the construction process would be quite so captivating‽ And you didn't let my favourite bit of your videos get lost in the jetwash. Yes the laugh a minute architect-speak self - agrandising fluff about the ceiling echoing the contours of the nearby Blue Mountains. Priceless! Just one thing though. I wonder if it has anything to do with it being such a long-planned project that the final version of the terminal's design is so out-dated? Perhaps there'll be a super modern people mover to get the passengers from entry to the distant gatei. Otherwise, nobody builds airports like this anymore. Long boxes have been superceded by spiders web spokes and satellite terminals to avoid the very problem present here. Nobody wants to have to drag their suitcase half a mile from check in to their departure gate anymore. Spoke arrangements have designed out this annoyance. Not in this building though. Best foot forward fella and don't be a whingeing Pom about it!

[@anthonygrady7862]

Western Sydney Airport to the CBD to the city is no longer than any other major airport in the world. The population of Sydney is moving West along with the current Airport will make a great addition to Sydney and Australia travels

[@MickB235]

That twin engined Comanche WASN'T the first aircraft to land there. The first (unscripted) landing was conducted by a light aircraft like a piper warrior or something that had some sort of engine failure or issues that required it to 'christen ' the runway

[@farlicgarts]

Correction, Toowoomba Wellcamp was the last airport built on a greenfield site and that opened in 2014 so not quite 50years

[@skyscraperfan]

I am not a fan of the public transport connection. I never saw a city where you have to switch trains if you want to travel from the airport to the city. That is very inconvenient, if you have luggage. It seems like they want to protect the business of the taxi drivers.

[@lannrecht1]

We missed the opportunity 30 years ago. With high speed rail. Half the traffic between Sydney and Melbourne could go by rail. The entire corridor, between the two cities would have developed and the crowding issues of today abated. We lack people of vision, courage and commitment to break new ground. In today’s political world.

[@sarahb7928]

One of the issues with the new airport is a class issue. The historic Sydney airport had been 24 hrs for yrs! But then the wealthy residents around Sydney Bay complained and got the airport to have a curfew. They then built his western airport around poorer suburbs and said it would be 24hrs. When the poorer suburbs were understandably upset the government coudnt give a shit. No curfew for them. Even worse as they syeny airport people knew the airport was there when they moved in. The western one was greenlit far more recently so if you already lived there, congrats your going to be hearing bowing plans all night

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

1:05 Landing strips??!! It's not the Flying Doctors in the outback Bruce! Runway, right.

[@rrsee-zk3zu]

I love Sydney but it so expensive!!!!

[@steveskrobot9496]

This airport wont have a control tower. Its going to be fully Digitally operated by a network of cameras.

[@daniel.s8126]

WCGW

[@TheGoQu]

No way aviation safety procedures allow it

[@steveskrobot9496]

@@TheGoQu Its state of the art. Its already being used in Germany. U.K, Norway, etc, and this one too.

[@hellomynameisbenjaminupton]

Great stuff. Next do Melbourne Airport Rail Link.. Oh no, thats right. After 50 years, Melbourne still has not decided on where or how to build the rail link to the city.

[@TheCodeBeast]

It will be one of the few airports with no ATC tower! Will be all digital with cameras and nigh vis etc

[@chriscollardey8155]

I hope I'm not too old to get a job there I've been waiting for it for the last 40 years

[@Haf1zA233m]

I saw B1M and "Mega" so obv im gonna stop my revision and watch this beast of a vid!! My structures work aint going in so hopefully this will :)

[@mpokoraa]

Jack is so jacked

[@jhuny]

Fred is so Fred?

[@mpokoraa]

@@jhuny it's wednesday my dude

[@ommanipadmehung3014]

The natural light is great but I wish we had learned from Singapore and the standard of advanced green airport building they established.

[@daniel.s8126]

Would be nice if SG applied that to all of their terminals then… I flew through there a few months ago and it felt like a 1990s casino.

[@akalion213]

Finally all the Australians will be able to escape

[@MrDredd1966]

Out of Sydney, definitely!! That's why Melbourne is Australia's largest city by population now!!

[@radeksparowski7174]

now they can build a smaller airport next to it with charter ultralights that get you closer to home/destination on that prison island

[@CASA-dy4vs]

America and the UK were also historically prison islands you know?

[@tugdumbly1927]

The main reason it was built there was that too many federal, state and local government electorates would be impacted by noise if Sydney went to 24/7 ops. We know that as a general rule politicians are gutless when it comes to decisions that impact on their reelection. You know NIMBY- ism. Sydney had all the trains, roads, buses, cbd proximity, accommodations etc. so the solution was build a new 24/7 one 90mins from the CBD (on a good day) that impacts on only a couple of electorates. Then trumpet its benefits for employment. Let’s not even go down the rapacious dodgy land deals that went on where donors who owned large tracts of land made a fortune through selling and/or rezoning. As we say in Oz, It’s only a rort if you’re not in on it.

[@d.o.m.494]

30 miles west, what happened to kilometres?

[@daniel.s8126]

Poms happened

[@Muhammad_Sausage]

Miles came hundreds of years before kilometres.

[@d.o.m.494]

@Muhammad_Sausage Australia is a metric country as is most of the world.

[@VasilyZaitsev08]

Someone needs to help the project director escape Charlie Brown's telephone.

[@richardwood9177]

I wouldn’t use it anymore than Avalon. Needs a metro rail link to the city. Could’ve done that through Leppington. Instead they go to St Marys?

[@seaton1288]

5:08 he said 82 Million passengers a YEAR! if that's true more then 3x Australians population!

[@arg6369]

Yeah. Traffic in Singapore or Dubai Airport 12x their countries population.

[@StephenFogarty2023]

He said “ eventually “ That many passengers per year That’s the long term projection In approx / over 20 years time, once the second runway is built, and a lot more expansion etc, of what is initially operating, as of 2026.

[@asifzaffer809]

Not until 2060s By then Australia's population will be 40-50 million

[@dooshdashcams2629]

In 40 years time. #fineprint

[@cheops1949]

STILL LOOKS LIKE AN AIR-CONDITIONED SHEARING SHED !!!!!!!

[@bettysteve322716]

"made to imitate standing under a Eucalyptus tree" and every so often one of the beams will fall and crush anyone standing under it, so they can experience the FULL spectrum of standing under a "Gum tree".

[@anml1969]

It’s a tiny airport that no-one would sensibly choose to fly to. Pretty much a mini-me of the existing airport.

[@AlejandroAlbarranRojas]

You should do one about the AIFA, it was built in 2 years.

[@augustolpr9567]

Just pulled up to the parking lot to work on the main terminal's roof

[@dooshdashcams2629]

Still leaking from last summers rain?

[@chenseanxy]

8 gates at lanuch for a brand new international airport for the city of the calibre of Sydney... Seems like it's going to be a pain once airlines actually start moving in

[@PeterSivara]

'At launch' and it's going to grow to be much larger. It's also not replacing Mascot, it's there to take pressure off Mascot, much like the Metro is taking pressure off the trains.

[@BrentSmithline]

Only constant in the universe is change.

[@Gary-vv5gt]

As a sydney sider, i think KSA is a lost cause and no matter how much they do renovations to it, its like putting a lipstick onto a pig.... I feel WSI would be a great airport for sure..... the international arrival will be cool that you get walk upstairs from aerobridges and get a view of depature from above while dwaddling to passport and whatnot where you go downstairs. Examples are NRT T1, DOH and a whole range of airports with that layout..... prefer that than the ordinary fart of arriving on the bottom floor....

[@mdhazeldine]

So what's the plan for the old airport once this opens?