Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) is inviting the community to step into the future of aviation that will herald a new era of economic prosperity for Greater Sydney, with the release of the airport’s Preliminary Draft Master Plan today.
The Preliminary Draft Master Plan is a strategic document that outlines the airport’s key plans and broader ambitions for growth and opportunity over the next two decades. There are four key pillars of the Plan, including:
- Introduction: Covers airport facilities and infrastructure available and provides context about the Master Plan process and the relevant legislative requirements.
- Planning context: Provides an overview of the strategic planning context and outlines the airport’s envisaged growth, including passenger and cargo forecasts.
- Sustainability: Overview of WSI’s sustainability vision and strategy.
- Forward Plans: Sets out WSI’s long-term plans for sustainable growth, including land use, airside development, terminals and aviation support, ground transport, utilities development, non-aviation development and airport safeguarding.
WSI CEO Simon Hickey said the Preliminary Draft Master Plan provides a cohesive roadmap for the airport precinct to meet the increasing demand for aviation services in Sydney, which is set to double over the next 25 years.
“As Sydney’s only 24-hour domestic, international and cargo gateway – WSI is well placed to meet our global city’s significant growth and offer greater choice for airlines and travellers, while driving progress for Greater Sydney, our state and our nation,” he said.
“Our Plan charts this pathway to greater prosperity for all of Sydney and covers a diverse depth and breadth of issues and opportunities from future aviation needs and long-term land uses to sustainability initiatives and environmental management as well as flight paths and noise mitigation measures.”
Mr Hickey said the Plan also demonstrates WSI’s role as a catalyst for growth and development in one of Australia’s largest, most diverse, and fastest growing economies – Western Sydney.
“Our vision over the next two decades is for WSI to become the gateway of choice to Australia and the world – connecting people, places and opportunities,” he said.
“Beyond the direct $5.3 billion investment to build the airport, state and federal governments have also invested more than $17 billion in rail and road infrastructure that’s connecting the west to the west and the west to the rest like we’ve never seen before.
“Greater connectivity enables more job opportunities and business growth. In fact, forecasts indicate investment in NSW will be $96 billion higher by 2063, with $85 billion of that increased investment in Western Sydney, due to WSI’s development and its related investments.”
WSI’s Plan also forecasts 6,000-8,500 airport jobs by the time passenger numbers reach 10 million annually around 2033, presenting meaningful employment opportunities for people living across Western Sydney and beyond.
“For the residents of Western Sydney especially we have and will continue to help create thousands of job opportunities – closer to their homes and families,” Mr Hickey said.
“During construction around half our workforce came from Western Sydney and a third were learning on the job through apprenticeships and the like – and as we look to the future the opportunities will be even more diverse and will grow in line with aviation demand.”
Commonwealth-leased airports are required to submit a Master Plan in accordance with the planning framework contained in the Airports Act 1996, which must then be renewed every five years to update strategic plans for the airport site and support opportunities for community engagement.
Stakeholders and community members are formally invited to provide feedback over the coming months, with consultation concluding on Tuesday 2 September 2025. The Plan will then be submitted to the federal government for endorsement, with a finalised Plan expected to be published in the first half of 2026.
