Trish Sunga
Australasia Press Office,Sydney
Arup has been chosen to undertake Masterplanning for one of the most significant infrastructure developments in Australia – the new Western Sydney Airport.
Serving both domestic and international flights, the Airport is due to open in 2026 with a capacity for 10 million passengers, with plans to grow to more than 80 million in the 2060s.
There will be extensive road and rail links, with the Airport as the focus of a major business precinct.
Western Sydney Airport Chief Executive, Graham Millett has described it as Australia’s “first smart airport”.
“We’re pleased to have Arup on board as a key partner in planning an airport that will get the most out of emerging digital technology to streamline customer experience,” Mr Millett said.
“We’re planning for a 5G network across the Airport site and planning needs to consider opportunities for 5G technologies to improve operations.”
He said functional airport planning would be essential to informing the physical design of the terminal and airside facilities.
“We want it to be easy for people to catch a plane and for airlines to minimise turnaround times for their aircraft – so early planning will be essential to inform the build,” he said.
“We need the airport to be easily expandable as demand grows, without impacting operations.”
Work to build Western Sydney Airport began in September with initial earthworks.
Arup has worked on airports around the world, providing planning services for London’s Heathrow Airport, Hong Kong Airport and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport.