In the 1999 edition of Environmental Issues students were provided with a detailed chronology of key developments associated with the airport (see pages 6-8). In November 1994 Sydney Airport's third runway was opened. It was built on land 'reclaimed' from Botany Bay and was hailed as an engineering feat particularly because it was opened six months ahead of schedule and $30 million under budget - it cost $200 million to build. It was seen as an essential way of easing the burden on the other two runways. It was built parallel to an existing north-south runway which also extended out into Botany Bay and both were crossed by an east-west runway. The opening was quickly followed by large protests over the increased levels of aircraft noise over Sydney's suburbs. The state and Federal Government agreed to pay residents, who were identified as being affected, $170 million for noise abatement works and compensation. The third runway has become the busiest at Sydney Airport. In mid-2000 the fragile physical state of the third runway was noticed - the relentless coastal processes were eroding the structure but public knowledge of the extensive reconstruction work which was required did not become accessible until April 2001. Land-fill, sand and much of the rock-wall under the runway was rapidly crumbling. The in-fill was being carried away by the natural erosion and transportation processes that occur on any coastal environment. There was considerable concern whether the erosion had reduced the runway's load capacity. Reconstruction work was carried out in curfew hours and at a cost of $10 million. Some environmentalists suggested that the sea was having its revenge!
Figure 1 Sydney Airport's third runway stretching out into Botany Bay, under construction in 1993. Note the adjacent and parallel north-south runway and the east-west runway towards the top of the aerial photo.
It was reported in July 2001 that in September three consortiums will bid for the ownership of the Sydney airport. The sale price has been tipped to be between $A4.5 billion and $A5 billion. Residents in the zones affected by the flight paths remain very concerned about this development. The Federal Minister for Finance responsible for the sale assured these residents that the rules limiting aircraft movements at Sydney Airport would not be relaxed to enhance the value of the site.
