[ABC Country Hour]
Construction of the new airport is 80% complete. Singapore Airlines is the first international operator to commit to starting operations from there. Ken Morrison is the CEO of the Bradfield Development Authority, which is building a whole new city attached to the Aerotropolis.
[Ken Morrison - Chief Executive Officer, Bradfield Development Authority]
They are ahead of schedule. We'll have this airport opening prior to the end of 2026, and the freight and cargo piece is a really important part of that. So that will be a 24/7 freight and cargo operating facility. Incredible opportunities for businesses right across New South Wales and Australia to be able to access growth markets, particularly in Asia, and do that on a 24/7 basis.
[ABC Country Hour]
And 220,000 tonnes of cargo. Is that a lot?
[Ken Morrison]
It is a lot. And we expect that to grow over time. And, you know, I think what the airport brings is several things. One, it's a new link into the world and a new opportunity to get your produce out to the world and also receive the things that you need your business to make it work. But it also reduces the need to have to transport your goods through the congested parts of Sydney into Kingsford-Smith Airport. It gives you much easier access. And the third thing it does is it anchors a whole Aerotropolis city around it. So, there's a more than 11,000-hectare area surrounding the airport, which will become a major new destination for freight, logistics, warehousing, and industrial activity for Sydney. And that can really anchor and supercharge that trade.
[ABC Country Hour]
So that's all still to evolve in some respects, isn't it? Because I'm hearing 80% of construction is complete, but is there still a lot of empty land and stuff that still needs to go in there?
[Ken Morrison]
The airport's well advanced in their construction, and there's $9 billion of investment from the private sector that's making its way through the planning pathways for investment in that broader Aerotropolis area.
[ABC Country Hour]
And so that's double the cost of the airport itself.
[Ken Morrison]
Yeah. And in the Aerotropolis, we're just getting started. So, there is an 11,000-hectare area, which is an enormous area. If you put the Aerotropolis over the Sydney CBD, it would stretch all the way from the Harbour down to Botany and all the way from the inner west to Bondi Beach.
[ABC Country Hour]
That is big. And Moorebank is another one, a connection that's also extremely large. So, infrastructure is kind of supercharged in Sydney at the moment.
[Ken Morrison]
Well, there's $20 billion worth of government infrastructure, including the airport, roads, Metro rail, and what we are spending to create the City of Bradfield at the heart of the Aerotropolis. So, $20 billion is an enormous amount of investment, and that will have a huge driving impact on the economy of Western Sydney, but much broader than that throughout New South Wales.
[ABC Country Hour]
Now, amongst the 50 investors that you hosted this week, what kind of players are they? What sort of companies were there?
[Ken Morrison]
Look, a range of Asian-based companies who were in Australia and looking for opportunities. There's also companies who are Australian-based that are looking into South East Asia for different investment opportunities. We also, very importantly, had a number of trade delegations from different embassies from South East Asian nations. And, you know, many of their advisors were also in the room as well. There'll be many businesses, perhaps, that really haven't clicked that this thing is about to happen. So now is a great time to engage with what the airport's doing, engage with what's happening in the Aerotropolis, and think about the opportunities for your own business.
[ABC Country Hour]
Ken Morrison, the CEO of the Bradfield Development Authority.
