$500m to be spent on Sydney airport!
A report in the Australian says that Sydney Airport is to undergo a $500 million makeover partly for the arrival of the huge double-decker A-380 aircraft, capable of carrying up to 800 passengers.
Work has begun on an upgrade and expansion of the international terminal to cope with an increase in international arrivals, expected to double in the next 15 years.
The plan is to reconfigure the departure lounge and to add some 7300sqm of additional space.
The contract for the redesign of the departure lounge went to Bovis Lend Lease, which has worked on 50 airports around the world, including in Australia.
On completion in 2009, the airport will have new outbound and early baggage handling systems.
There will be additional, and upgraded, aeronautical facilities including aerobridges and a taxiway to accommodate a wider range of aircraft.
The arrival baggage system will be also upgraded, and three new arrival carousels will be installed to meet the extra peak passengers flows associated with the progressive introduction of the A380 into airline fleets.
Sydney Airport chief executive Russell Balding said the upgrade would improve facilities for passengers and centralised processing through immigration.
Mr Balding said there would also be new shops, restaurants and waiting areas.
“This follows feedback from customers that they want more variety, improved product range and dining options,” he said.
The new-look terminal would leave visitors with a “positive impression” of Sydney, he said.
He added that the expansion was strategically important for Sydney and the Australian tourism industry.
“Sydney Airport is Australia’s national gateway and handles half of the nation’s international passengers,” he said.
Bovis Lend Lease’s managing director Tony Constantino said: “Given the complexity of the work in the airport, it requires enormous amounts of planning.”
He said Bovis Lend Lease had started planning for the project with the authorities, including the Australian Customs.
Mr Constantino said construction would be carried out in stages to remodel the 30,000sqm departure lounge and to expand the space.
In 2006-07, 10 million international passengers passed through Sydney Airport.
In the past five years, the number of international passengers had increased by 25 per cent, and it expected to be handling more than 20 million by 2023-24.
A report by Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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