Second Sydney Airport

The Second Sydney Airport is an ongoing proposition for another airport to supplement or replace the existing Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia. Estimated to cost between $6 and $8 billion, governments of the past 30 years have not pursued the issue to anything beyond some preliminary investigations and some precautionary land acquisition.

Since the construction of Kingsford Smith, aviation in Sydney has grown significantly. Between 1985-86 and 2011-12 total passenger movements through Sydney more than tripled from 9.5 million to 36.0 million. Almost half of all scheduled flights in Australia land or take off at Kingsford Smith, and the airport dealt with 45% of international passengers in 1998.

As of February 2013, the Gillard Government supports the concept of a second airport, but is waiting on a report into whether it's preferred site of Wilton in south-western Sydney is a viable option. The federal Opposition is split on the issue, with prominent Sydney-based ministers, including Joe Hockey and Scott Morrison, supporting the Badgerys Creek site while the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has not committed to constructing an airport at all. NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell strongly opposes an airport being built in Sydney, favouring increasing capacity at Kingsford Smith and building a high-speed rail connection between Sydney and Canberra Airport. This proposition has been described as "economically infeasible".