Western Sydney International Airport Major Earthworks | ACCIONA

ACCIONA, with its joint venture partner CPB Contractors, was awarded the major earthworks package for the construction of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.

Major earthworks Package: ACCIONA staged the largest civil earthmoving project in Australia to enable the airport to open in 2026. This package involved significant design and construction responsibilities including the excavation, movement and placement of around 25 million cubic meters of earth to support construction of the major elements of the airport, such as the runway, terminal building and trunk drainage for the entire site.

At peak, more than 250 heavy-earthmoving machines were involved in moving more than approximately one million cubic metres of earth a month.

Western Sydney International Airport will be the catalyst for the transformation of the region, creating jobs, economic growth and opportunity.

Runway and Airside Works: ACCIONA was instrumental in the design-and-build of the 3.7km runway; installing 3,000 runway landing lights and constructing the airside roads and safety systems.

General Information:

Airside Civil and Pavement Works: Awarded in September 2021, this involved the design and construction of the airport’s airside infrastructure. Key elements include:
- A 3,700-meter-long runway.
- Taxiways and airside roads.
- Installation of approximately 3,000 aeronautical ground lights, including 348 high-intensity approach lights for CAT IIIB operations, enabling safe operations in foggy conditions.
- Integration of safety and navigation systems, such as airside security fencing with CCTV, lighting, and power systems.
Major Earthworks Package: Awarded in August 2019, this project was the largest civil earthmoving project in Australia.
It involved:
- Excavation, movement, and placement of 25 million cubic meters of earth to prepare the site for major elements like the runway and terminal.
- At peak, more than 250 heavy-earthmoving machines were deployed, moving approximately 1 million cubic meters of earth per month.

Technical Innovations and Project Highlights:

One of the standout achievements was the development of a bespoke “true-slip forming” method for concrete aircraft pavement - an Australian first.

This approach boosted productivity and safety by allowing continuous, precision paving without extensive formwork.

The pavement technique was part of the Airside Civil and Pavement Works package, which included rapid-exit taxiways designed to reduce runway occupancy time and improve aircraft turnaround efficiency.

The project also involved sourcing and placing millions of tonnes of select quarry material to strict aviation standards, ensuring the foundation for a high-strength airfield pavement system.