New airport would mean 24hr noise: MP
RESIDENTS in Sydney's west would cop round-the-clock noise if Qantas were allowed to operate out of an airport at Badgerys Creek, a backbench MP says.
Labor MP Ed Husic's federal seat of Chifley adjoins Badgerys Creek, the site first proposed 30 years ago for a second Sydney airport.
News Corp Australia reports Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce as saying there's no reason why Qantas and Jetstar couldn't operate out of the western Sydney site - putting to bed the idea that major airlines wouldn't use the facility.
But Mr Husic says Qantas would operate there only if it had 24-hour access, meaning round-the clock-noise for locals.
"The only way Qantas will actually get to Badgerys ... the carrot for them is 24-hour-a-day access ... because they know that most of their passengers want to get straight into the city, which is why they prefer Mascot," he told Fairfax Radio on Monday.
Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger welcomed Mr Joyce's comments.
Mr Borger said a Badgerys Creek airport would mean "the days of the long commute from Western Sydney to Sydney Airport could be a thing of the past".
"A person travelling by taxi from Penrith to and from Badgerys Creek could potentially save over $200 compared to travelling to Sydney Airport," he said in a statement.
An airport at the Badgerys site would also create around 28,000 jobs in the region, he said.
The federal government has previously called the Badgerys Creek site a "prime contender" for a second airport, but says it will also look at the capacity of Richmond and the existing airport at Mascot.