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Sydney's second major airport gets green light

Xinhua, December 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Australian government has given the final approval for the construction of Sydney's second major airport.

"After decades of studies and planning, all the approvals are now in place. This is the most significant step taken by any Government on this project meaning we can now get on with building the airport so it is ready to take its first passengers by the mid-2020's," says a joint media statement from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher on Monday.

Stage 1 of the airport in western Sydney will include a single runway and facilities for 10 million passengers annually by the mid-2020s, while a second parallel runway is scheduled to be required by around 2050, the statement said.

Sydney needs the second airport at Badgerys Creek because the current Kingsford Smith one is operating at full capacity, local media quoted Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as saying.

"Sydney is already full, Kingsford Smith is full, we have called for this capacity for sometime. (This) will be great for Sydney, New South Wales and Australia," Joyce was quoted as saying to Network Seven on Monday. Endit