Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, has released a report initiated by the Commonwealth and NSW governments on the future aviation needs of Sydney.

 

The study, undertaken by an independent Steering Committee, shows with passenger demand in the Sydney region forecast to more than double by 2035 to 87 million passengers then double again by 2060, a long-term strategy is needed to meet this growth.

 

The economic consequences of failing to increase capacity include:

  • Australia is forecast to lose $6 billion in GDP by 2035
  • NSW is forecast to be hit hardest of all jurisdictions, losing $2.3 billion in GSP over the same period.

 

The 3,000-page report makes a range of recommendations for action in three areas: to allow Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport to operate to its full operational capacity, to protect and expand the role of other airports in the Sydney region, and to identify the site for a new airport to meet long-term growth.

 

“The Committee does not support any change to the curfew and also points out that with the airport already close to capacity, increasing the cap in peak hours would only buy as little as a year,” Mr Albanese said.

 

The Federal Government will now commence consideration of the Committee's recommendations and is likely to establish a joint body with the NSW Government to look into implementing a long-term strategy.

 

The full report is available here