Sydney Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Sydney Airport
nativename = Kingsford Smith International Airport
nativename-a =
nativename-r =


image-width =
caption =
IATA = SYD
ICAO = YSSY
type = Public
owner =
operator = Sydney Airport Corporation Limited
city-served = Sydney
location = Mascot, Australia
elevation-f = 19
elevation-m = 6
coordinates = Coord|33|56|46|S|151|10|38|E|type:airport
website = [http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/ www.sydneyairport.com.au]
metric-elev =
metric-rwy = Yes
r1-number = 07/25
r1-length-f = 8,297
r1-length-m = 2,529
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 16L/34R
r2-length-f = 7,998
r2-length-m = 2,438
r2-surface = Asphalt
r3-number = 16R/34L
r3-length-f = 13,018
r3-length-m = 3,968
r3-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport) Airport codes|SYD|YSSY, is located in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. It is the major airport serving Sydney, and is a major hub for Qantas. Sydney Airport is one of the oldest continually operated airports in the world, [ [http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/NR/rdonlyres/353DC91E-A259-449B-8B68-C8E88CB58691/0/FactSheetHistory1.pdf Fact Sheet] "Sydney Airport"] and the busiest airport in Australia, handling 31.9 million passengers and 290,346 aircraft movements in 2007. [ [http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/reports/movements/calytd2007.pdf Air Services Australia Aircraft Movements 2007] ] It was the 28th busiest airport in the world in 2003, but has not been in the top 30 since then. The airport is managed by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited (SACL) and the current CEO is Russell Balding.

Situated next to Botany Bay, the airport has three runways, colloquially known as the "East-West" and two "North-South" runways. In terms of land area, it is the smallest capital city airport in Australia. Fact|date=July 2007

Transport

The airport is accessible by road and via the Airport Link underground rail line. The International Terminal and Domestic Terminal railway stations are situated below the respective terminals and are part of the Cityrail network, however the train stations are privately owned and operated by the Airport Link consortium. Sydney Buses run both the route 400 (Burwood to Bondi Junction), and route 410 (Bondi Junction to Rockdale Station) that connect the eastern suburbs, Inner West and St George areas to the airport with stops at International and Domestic terminals.

History

Originally declared an aerodrome in 1920 (then known as Sydney Airport), it was renamed Sydney (Kingsford Smith) International Airport in 1953, in honour of Charles Kingsford Smith, a pioneering Australian aviator.

The airport's first runways were built in 1933, all in gravel. Some small streams where some of the present runways are located were also filled. By the 1960s the need for a new international terminal had become apparent, and work commenced in late 1966. The new terminal was officially opened on May 3, 1970, by Queen Elizabeth II. The first Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' to serve the airport, Pan American's 'Clipper Flying Cloud' (N734PA), arrived on October 4, 1970. In the 1970s the north-south runway was expanded to become one of the longest runways in the southern hemisphere. The international terminal was expanded in 1992 and has undergone several refurbishments since then.

In the 1960s, the limitations of having only two runways that crossed each other had become apparent. Various governments grappled (or failed to grapple) with the issue of Sydney's airport capacity for decades. Eventually the highly controversial decision to build a third runway (parallel to the existing main "North-South" runway, but entirely on land reclaimed from Botany Bay) was taken, and the much-anticipated proposed new airport on the outskirts of Sydney was shelved indefinitely.

Even once the "third runway" (as it is universally known to Sydneysiders), had been built, it remained controversial because of increased aircraft movements, especially over many of Sydney's inner suburbs. The 1990s saw the formation of the No Aircraft Noise Party, which gained support in areas of Sydney affected by aircraft noise.Fact|date=July 2007 However, there has been general acquiescence in the arrangements for Sydney Airport that were introduced by the Howard government shortly after its election, namely to -
#maintain curfews (extremely limited jet movements 2300-0600)
#rotate runway operation, and fan flightpaths out (instead of concentrating them, as had previously been the case)
#use, whenever possible, flightpaths over water, especially Botany Bay
#continue the use of noise abatement (reduced power settings, etc) on departure.

In 2002, the Australian Government sold Sydney Airports Corporation Limited (later renamed to Sydney Airport Corporation Limited), the management authority for the airport, to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings Ltd. This is majority owned by a number of Macquarie Bank infrastructure investment funds. It holds a 99 year lease on the airport which remains Crown land.

Since the international terminal's original completion, it has undergone two large expansions, and the entire airport is currently undergoing a large expansion stretching over twenty years (2005 - 2025). This expansion will include the addition of a high-rise office block, the construction of a multi-level car park, the expansion of both the international and domestic terminal. This latest expansion — and other plans and policies by Macquarie Bank for airport operations — are seen as controversial, due to the fact that the local councils, which usually act as the local planning authority for such developments, have no jurisdiction over the airport. As of April 2006, some of the proposed development has been scaled back."Sydney Morning Herald." April 21, 2006 issue]

Curfew

In 1995 the Australian Government passed a law through parliament entitled "The Sydney Airport Curfew Act", which limits the operating hours of the airport. This was done due as an effort to curb complaints about aircraft noise.

The curfew prevents aircraft from taking off or landing between the hours of 11pm and 6am. During extreme weather, flights are often delayed and it is often the case that people on late flights are unable to travel on a given day.

econd airport proposals

Sydney has been seeking a second airport since 1964. [cite web
url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/chron/2003-04/04chr02.htm
title=Second Sydney Airport — A Chronology
publisher=www.aph.gov.au
accessdate=2008-07-23] Between 1987 and 1999-2000 domestic flights though Sydney more than doubled to nearly 27 million and international passengers increased from 8 million to 15 million in the same period. Almost half of all scheduled flights in Australia land or take off at Kingsford Smith, and the airport dealt with 45% of international passengers in 1998.cite book
author = Philip Laird
title = Where We Are Now
work = Back on Track
publisher = UNSW Press
year = 2001
page = pages 29
isbn = 0 86840 411 X ] As a tentative first step, the Commonwealth has bought most of the land needed for a second airport, at Badgery's Creek, just west of Sydney. To be accessed by the Westlink M7 motorway, there are currently three proposals for the layout of the airport, featuring different arrangement of terminals in the centre of the proposed three runways.

A second airport rose again in 2008 when the Rudd Federal Government was elected. Convinced capacity at the current airport will be exhausted it begun a search for a new site. It is believed various options, including a freight-only airport operation will be considered. Camden, converting part or all of Richmond and Canberra are all to be investigated for feasibility. Bankstown and Badgerys Creek, according to sources are not to be put forward. [cite web
url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23645809-5001021,00.html
title=Search on for second Sydney airport
work=The Daily Telegraph
date=May 5, 2008
publisher=www.news.com.au
accessdate=2008-07-23]

Operations

Prospective users and routes

*Air India Plans to start flights in 2009 using Boeing 777-300ER or Boeing 787 aircraft. [ [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Airlines__Aviation/Find_fresh_skies_govt_tells_airlines/articleshow/2837946.cms Find fresh skies, govt tells airlines- Airlines / Aviation-Transportation-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times ] ]
*V Australia has sought approval to launch 777-300ER services to Johannesburg. It is predicted that this service may commence October 1, 2009. [ [http://www.travelweekly.com.au/articles/7a/0c05897a.asp V Australia to South Africa ] ]

ee also

*List of Australian airports
*Transport in Australia
*Airport and East Hills railway line, Sydney - Airport Rail Connection
*RAAF Mascot

References

External links

* [http://www.sydneyairport.com/ Sydney Airport Homepage]
* [http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aboutus/facilities/towers/sydneytower.asp Sydney Tower]
* [http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications/current/ersa/FAC_YSSY_31-Aug-2006.pdCurrent ERSA Sydney Airport FAC]
* [http://flying.net.au/?q=yssy Sydney Airport Frequency and Airway Data]