Residents in Sydney's west would cop round-the-clock noise if Qantas were allowed to operate out of an airport at Badgerys Creek, a backbench MP says.
Labor MP Ed Husic's federal seat of Chifley adjoins Badgerys Creek, the site first proposed 30 years ago for a second Sydney airport.
News Corp Australia reports Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce as saying there's no reason why Qantas and Jetstar couldn't operate out of the western Sydney site - putting to bed the idea that major airlines wouldn't use the facility.
But Mr Husic says Qantas would operate there only if it had 24-hour access, meaning round-the clock-noise for locals.
"The only way Qantas will actually get to Badgerys ... the carrot for them is 24-hour-a-day access ... because they know that most of their passengers want to get straight into the city, which is why they prefer Mascot," he told Fairfax Radio on Monday.
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Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger welcomed Mr Joyce's comments.
Mr Borger said a Badgerys Creek airport would mean "the days of the long commute from Western Sydney to Sydney Airport could be a thing of the past".
"A person travelling by taxi from Penrith to and from Badgerys Creek could potentially save over $200 compared to travelling to Sydney Airport," he said in a statement.
An airport at the Badgerys site would also create around 28,000 jobs in the region, he said.
The federal government has previously called the Badgerys Creek site a "prime contender" for a second airport, but says it will also look at the capacity of Richmond and the existing airport at Mascot.
