The process

Towards the establishment of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport

As part of the sale of Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport in 2002, the purchaser (Sydney Airport Group) was given the Right of First Refusal to develop and operate a second major airport in the Sydney region.

In 2016, a Notice of Intention was issued to the Sydney Airport Group, providing detailed terms for the development and operation of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI). This included the condition that construction commence by late 2018 and the airport be operational by 2026.

The Notice of Intention was carefully developed to ensure the new airport would deliver the best deal for the Western Sydney community.

After considering the offer, Sydney Airport Group declined the opportunity to build and operate the airport. This meant that the Australian Government had the choice to either offer the project to another private company or build and operate the airport itself.

On 2 May 2017, the Australian Government announced it would take on the project by creating a Government-owned company, Western Sydney Airport Co Limited (WSA Co), to build the airport.