Qantas,Virgin Blue and Jetstar are among those airlines favouring Richmond as a second airport site, and they are not alone. The Board of Airline Representatives of Australia, which represents the majority of international carriers using Australian airports, recently submitted a position paper to Transport Minister Anthony Albanese that clearly puts Richmond at the forefront of the second airport debate.

In its position paper the Association singles out Richmond and Williamtown RAAF bases as sites capable of accommodating international jet operations, as well as substantial domestic jet operations.

But the association believes it is “imperative” that the second airport is located within the Sydney basin, making Richmond the closest, and “preferred”, option.

“In the case of Richmond, the additional cost of road and rail infrastructure required to serve the greater Sydney market would be significantly less than for Williamtown and any other possible site outside the Sydney basin,” the paper says.

“A second airport at Richmond could readily serve Sydney via a link to the M7/M2 road network, and by upgrading existing rail infrastructure.

“BARA therefore maintains that, in the absence of any other site in the Sydney basin, Richmond should be the preferred site for the second Sydney airport.”

When he spoke to the Gazette, the association’s executive director Warren Bennett said there had been plenty of discussion within the organisation about the preferred site.

“I obviously can’t see any other cost effective, viable option for the development of what would amount to an effective and efficient second Sydney airport,” Mr Bennett said.

Support for the Richmond option has been growing throughout the past year, and more so in recent months, with Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan even announcing that he had been in talks with three RAAF Bases, including Richmond, to operate flights.

Richmond, Edinburgh and Auckland have all been contacted with expressions of interest.

“Defence is talking about Richmond but when that will happen I don’t know, but they have got to come up with a solution to Sydney and I would imagine that politically that’s a much more palatable answer than anything else out there,” Mr Buchanan said.