Western Sydney International Airport unveiled ahead of opening, though stumbling blocks remain

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Major construction is now complete at Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), with the terminal at Badgerys Creek unveiled on Wednesday. However, two obstacles remain, including just how many airline carriers are willing to fly into the precinct, 44 kilometres from the city's CBD.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to the Western Sydney Airport.

00:06It took decades of planning and $5.3 billion for this airport's designers to be able to

00:12make this announcement.

00:14This incredible terminal, the best in Australia, will be welcoming people from Western Sydney

00:22traveling to other parts of Australia and to the world.

00:26The new terminal boasts advanced features, like a baggage handling system that can process

00:312,000 bags an hour.

00:33We've got five-minute taxiing time.

00:35We've used technology by design to reduce the amount of time you're going to spend from

00:40when you land the aircraft and get to the terminal.

00:44That means you're quicker home.

00:46Air New Zealand becomes the latest airline to sign on here, joining Singapore Airlines

00:50Qantas and Jetstar.

00:53This terminal's completion, while not the very last item on this airport's to-do list,

00:58still marks the beginning of a slow and gradual gear shift, from construction to testing and

01:02operations.

01:04And if the government is serious about moving 10 million passengers a year through here by

01:09late next year, they'll need to figure out exactly how everyone's getting in and out

01:14of this airport.

01:15It's a great first step, but there's a lot more steps to come.

01:19There's still a lot of road and public transport projects that need to be delivered.

01:23The M12 motorway connecting the airport to the rest of Sydney is expected to be completed

01:28just before the airport is due to open.

01:30The metro line to St. Mary's will not.

01:33What we need now is the continual investment in the train lines, in the roads, to make sure

01:38the people of the West can get here safely and efficiently.

01:41A big ask for a state-of-the-art airport that, for now, can only be accessed through a single-lane

01:48rural road.

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