Options for a new airport in Sydney's west will become more concrete after a federal government consultation wrapped up.
There have been consultations over the past nine months with the Sydney Airport Group on a full range of issues affecting the western Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek.
The government would now review which options best met the city's aviation needs and hoped to release a final proposal by the end of 2015, Transport Minister Warren Truss said in a statement on Thursday.
"We have afforded the owners of Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport the first opportunity to develop and operate a second major airport in the Sydney region as part of the terms of the 2002 sale agreement for Sydney Airport," Mr Truss said.
"We will now work through the issues and review the range of options for an airport proposal that will meet Sydney's aviation capacity needs and deliver the best possible outcomes for the people of western Sydney and the nation."
The end of the consultation phase completed the first element of the Commonwealth's contractual obligations under the right of first refusal process, Mr Truss said.
The government is aiming to put a proposal setting out the government's terms, specifications and a construction timetable to the Sydney Airport Group by the end of the year.
A draft environmental impact statement examining the Badgery's Creek site, its biodiversity, heritage features and the development of flight paths will be open for public consultation later this year.
The plan is to have an operational airport by mid-2020.
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