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Hello JFK! Big plans for new Sydney airport

With a second airport capable of handling 80 million passengers a year, Sydney will have no problem accommodating an influx of new travellers.

With a second airport capable of handling 80 million passengers a year, Sydney will have no problem accommodating an influx of new travellers.

Details of the new site to be located at Badgerys Creek in Western Sydney have been leaked and show that when completed in 2025, the gateway will rival the capacity and size of JFK airport in New York.

Documents obtained by the Daily Telegraph say the project, which commences construction next year, will be the nation’s largest earthmoving and excavation job since the Snowy Mountains.

Stage 1: A new runway.

Image: The Daily Telegraph

The initial construction phase will reportedly involve excavating some 100 million cubic metres of earth, rock and soil to create a level precinct of roughly 20 square kilometres.

A site map in the paperwork marked ‘for cost purposes only’ includes a single east-west runway of 3,700 kilometres and a small domestic and international terminal. There’s also a cargo terminal for non-commercial operations.

Into the future: How the airport will look in 2050.

Image: The Daily Telegraph

The runway will be able to handle larger aircraft such as the A380, which is a favourite among major airlines Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

The first stage, which is suggested to cost around $4 billion, is projected for completion within eight years and will handle around 10 million passengers a year.

Emirates A380 2

New runways will be able to handle large jets like the A380, which are popular amongst Emirates, Qantas and more.

Additional paperwork obtained by the news agency revealed the final configuration for the gateway would rank the site amongst the best in the world, with twin parallel 3.7 kilometre runways by 2050.

Once the entire airport is completed, it is expected to handle around 80 million passengers a year, twice the number capable of passing through the existing airport in Mascot.

The name is the new gateway is still to be determined, but reports show Prime Minister Tony Abbott has considered naming it after engineer John Bradfield who was responsible for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

About time or way too big? Do you think Sydney needs such a large airport?