TThe idea of Canberra having an international airport should be properly investigated. It is quite likely that Sydney will run out of capacity well before a second airport is built.
Canberra is in an ideal position to take up some of the slack … especially in freight aircraft taking perishables to Asia. Canberra has none of the traffic snarls that delay goods going from the farmlands of NSW on their way to Sydney airport. Not a great deal needs to be done to Canberra airport, especially compared to starting again elsewhere. The ACT Government, in a submission to the House of Representatives inquiry into air freight exports calls for a common domestic-international terminal; a runway upgrade to 747 standard; better taxiing; and a high-speed rail terminal.
For freight and passengers travel time is of far greater importance than distance. The distance of 300kms might seem daunting in European or Japanese terms, but large amount of open space and available transport corridors between here and Sydney mean it can be overcome by technology. It is typical for major airports to be an hour or more out of the centre of the city.
A upgrade of Canberra airport combined with a high-speed rail link, would enable the decision on Sydney’s new airport to be delayed because it would take not only international freight and some international passengers, but the rail link would enable the virtually closing of Sydney-Canberra flights. Rail to Sydney would be more comfortable, cheaper and not much longer and enable business people constant phone and computer use in a way not possible by the air-taxi trip to Sydney CBD.