Concept art of Western Sydney International Airport in its final planned form looking southwest. Image: WSI.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport has been released by the Commonwealth for public comment.
With work well over 50 per cent complete and flights expected to start from WSI in 2026, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King says the feedback on the EIS will help guide the final stages of the airport’s design and construction.
Noise will be the most noticeable environmental impact for a vast majority of people in western Sydney, in particular those who live in suburbs in line with the northeast-southwest axis of the single main runway.
A 24 October release said the EIS includes assessments not only of the noise, but also the social and environmental impacts of the airport’s preliminary flight paths, and the government’s proposed actions to address any areas of concern.
This includes the proposed policy for noise treatments to existing properties most impacted by aircraft noise and considerations for any potential acquisition of property.
Ms King said the EIS also looks at how the preliminary flight paths will affect First Nations and historic heritage, the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, aircraft noise in the region, biodiversity, health, greenhouse gases, other environmental factors and aircraft hazards.
It also outlines the changes to flight paths for other airports – including Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, Bankstown Airport, Camden Airport and RAAF Base Richmond – which are required to safely integrate the new airport’s control area and flight paths.
“Feedback has, and continues to be, a critical element to ensuring we deliver an airport which realises these lasting benefits, while balancing the needs of the community, environment, industry and users of the broader Greater Sydney airspace in the design of the new flight paths,” Minister King said.
“That’s why we have gone above and beyond in community consultation, including the launch of an interactive Aircraft Overflight Noise Tool alongside the preliminary flight paths in June, and a range of community information and feedback sessions over the last few months.
“This means that local communities and the broader public have had more time to understand the flight paths and the modelled aircraft noise before the draft EIS release.
“I encourage people across Sydney to have a look to see whether where you live is affected, it’s why the noise tool is there, and …the principles under which the design of this air space has been undertaken, they’ve been around for a long time.
“Safety first, has to be first, but trying to make sure we mitigate the impact, particularly over residences as much as we possibly can has been one of the principles that all of the air space design has been undertaken under.”
Information on the planned flight paths is available at online, and the EIS is open for feedback from now until 31 January 2024. Community information and feedback sessions will be conducted across Sydney and the Blue Mountains over the coming months.
