An integrated 24-hour cargo precinct is taking shape at the new Western Sydney International Airport with Qantas and Menzies Aviation signing up as the first tenants.
The operators say the new hub will increase Sydney’s air cargo capacity by around 33 per cent with dedicated road access and proximity to the growing freight and logistics centres at Kemps Creek and the Aerotropolis.
WSI CEO Simon Hickey says the precinct should create up to 2000 jobs during construction and more than 19,000 direct and indirect jobs afterwards.
“Qantas Group is our first freight airline to sign up to our 24-hour cargo precinct, which will provide unparallelled opportunities for farmers, manufacturers and other exporters to grow their businesses,” he says.
The airport says the hub will handle Qantas’ new freighter fleet of Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft.
Mr Hickey believes their 24-hour operation will help businesses boost their export opportunities.
“We’re already responding to growing market demands, including significant spikes in e-commerce purchases initially prompted by changing spending habits during the COVID-19 pandemic, by increasing the airport’s opening air cargo capacity,” he says.
Mr Hickey says they secured $805.4 million in external funding for vital infrastructure likes roads, taxiways and buildings to future-proof their cargo and business precincts for decades.
He also welcomed the arrival of airport services operator Menzies Aviation, who signed a 20-year lease on a facility for pharmaceutical, cool chain products handling, e-commerce and heavy cargo services.
The precinct will feature up to 75,000 square metres of warehousing and service up to eight wide-body aircraft at one time. Construction began earlier this year and remains on track to open in 2026.
The construction work is being done by CPB Acciona Joint Venture, who also built the new 3.7km runway.
CPB Acciona will build aeronautical and precinct infrastructure works but the fit-out of warehouses will be done by the tenants, the airport says.
FIRST TENANT
The footprint of Qantas’s operations at Nancy-Bird Walton Airport will be about 24,000 square metres with 14,000 square metres for warehousing.
Terminal facility design and sophisticated materials handling equipment should ensure seamless handling processes for international imports and express domestic products.
Qantas International and Freight CEO Cam Wallace says the new precinct will help them meet demand for e-commerce.
“Western Sydney International Airport has some big strategic advantages for freight operations particularly with overnight flights which will help ensure parcels and other critical freight can be delivered around Australia as quickly as possible,” he says.
“We are in the process of renewing and growing our fleet of air freighters, with the newer aircraft that will fly out of Western Sydney quieter and more sustainable than older models.”
