Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport continues to be at the centre of the region’s transformational uplift with around $404 million spent with Western Sydney businesses and a new group of interns and trainees joining the airport to help their careers take off.

Western Sydney International Airport CEO Simon Hickey said the airport and its contractors had engaged more than 250 Western Sydney-based businesses since work on the airport began, from local tradies and construction companies, to caterers, security guards and other small businesses.

“The airport has already injected over $400 million into the local economy, around half of this money has been spent using local businesses to help us bring our world-class terminal to life,” Mr Hickey said.

“This high level of local investment supports local businesses of all sizes, meaning they employ more locals who in turn spend more money in the West.”

Ben Geisker, Director of Blacktown business, BKH Scaffolding said the scaffolding work he has secured at the airport is worth more than $7 million and meant he was able to keep on apprentices and other workers during the pandemic.

“We had around 150 Western Sydney locals working on the airport job during the peak of our contract, helping to construct the formwork and scaffolding,” Mr Geisker said.

“It’s a massive source of pride for so many of us to work on the airport that will connect Western Sydney to the world.”

On top of the significant local investment, Western Sydney International Airport is providing local students with opportunities to start their careers by creating traineeships and by teaming up with the CSIRO to offer game changing new internships.

Mr Hickey said it was another example of Sydney’s new airport opening high quality career pathways.

“By offering paid traineeships for Year 12 school leavers, we are inviting the next generation of young professionals to be part of bringing Sydney’s new airport to life,” Mr Hickey said.

“We are building a skills legacy for this vibrant, diverse region and we are extremely proud of the fact that a third of our current workforce are apprentices, trainees or other workers upskilling while working on the airport.”

More than 2,700 people are currently working to build Western Sydney International Airport, with almost half coming from Western Sydney. The airport project will employ even more people as construction ramps up to its peak phase later this year, when around 3,500 people are expected to be directly employed on the project at that time.