When millions of passengers touch down in Sydney each year, few realize they are landing on land that used to be open ocean. Twice, more than twenty years apart, DEME helped shape the future of Australia’s busiest gateway through monumental land reclamation in Botany Bay.

The first chapter began in 1969, when a consortium including Baggerwerken Decloedt, Société Générale de Dragage (SGD), and French company SNTP extended Sydney Airport's main runway into the bay to nearly four kilometers. The reclaimed land enabled the arrival of a new era of international travel, paving the way for the iconic Boeing 747 to land in Sydney for the very first time in 1970. Operated by Pan Am, the historic flight attracted around 10,000 spectators eager to witness the arrival of the world's largest passenger aircraft.

For the project, the 4,800 m³ trailing suction hopper dredger Atlantique was mobilized. Jointly built by the partners in 1964, the vessel featured three distinctive rings on its structure, symbolizing the collaboration between the three companies.

Two decades later, DEME returned to Botany Bay for an even more ambitious challenge. In 1992, they helped construct a second parallel runway entirely on reclaimed land. The project required dredging, moving, and placing 16 million m³ of sand and silt, all while meeting strict environmental measures to safeguard the local marine ecosystem.

Built in anticipation of Australia’s soaring air travel demand, that bold vision paid off. Today, what was once open sea supports tens of millions of travelers every year, serving as an enduring example of how pioneering land reclamation creates opportunity for an entire country.