The new western Sydney airport, under construction at Badgerys Creek, has been named in honour of Australia's greatest female aviation pioneer Nancy Bird Walton.
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Born in Kew and growing up in Mount George, Nancy was taught to fly by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and became a qualified pilot by the age of 19. She was the youngest woman in the Commonwealth to gain a pilot's licence.
Early in her career, Nancy bought a plane to transport those in need from isolated areas across Australia to medical facilities.
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Known as the 'Angel of the Outback', Nancy was the founder of the Australian Women Pilots' Association, helped create the Royal Far West Children's Health Scheme and spent time as a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctors' Service.
She died in 2009, aged 93.
"Nancy Bird Walton was a pioneer not just for women but for anybody," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said during the naming announcement.
The Western Sydney International Nancy Bird Walton Airport is scheduled to open in 2026.
