Sydney - Work on Sydney's second international airport is to recommence 22 years after ground was first broken at Badgerys Creek, 50 kilometres west from the centre of Australia's biggest city.
Deliberations on a second airport began in 1946, land was acquired by the federal government in 1986 and work begun, but quickly stopped, in 1992.
“It's a long overdue decision which to be honest has been shirked and squibbed by successive governments for far too long,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. Work is to begin in 2016 and could begin operations in 2025.
“After decades of debate we applaud today's announcement by the prime minister,” Qantas Airways chief Alan Joyce said. - Sapa-dpa