Western Sydney Airport – the city’s newly proposed second airport, located in Badgerys Creek, New South Wales, Australia – has revealed its plans for an innovative Visitor Centre that will enable the local community to learn more about the new airport and watch its development in real time.
Floor-to-ceiling glass panels will offer a bird’s-eye view of the airport construction area, while augmented reality will enable visitors to see exactly where the runway and terminals will be built and what they will look like from the vantage point of the Visitor Centre. School groups and members of the public will all enjoy free access to center.
Work began on the airport in September 2018 with operations scheduled to begin in late 2026. Australian construction firm Watpac has now been contracted to build the Visitor Center for mid-2019.
Graham Millett, chief executive, Western Sydney Airport (WSA), said, “We want the public to be a part of the journey and discover the airport’s story, particularly the benefits it will bring to the region in terms of jobs and opportunities.
“It’s exciting to think that some of the students who experience the Visitor Centre on school excursions will one day be in a job created by the airport. Western Sydney Airport will support tens of thousands of jobs in the region, including high-value jobs in sectors such as aviation, defense and medicine.
“We’re doing much more than building an airport, we’re the catalyst for new opportunities in Western Sydney, and the Visitor Centre means the community can be a part of it from the start.”
Western Sydney Airport’s local jobs targets mean that at least 30% of jobs generated in construction will go to Western Sydney locals, increasing to at least 50% when the airport is fully operational.