A senate committee report on regional airfares released last week uncovered the complexity that comes with delivering air services on a small scale. The frustration of regional residents was evident throughout the inquiry, as poor economies of scale have resulted in little competition between airlines, and less choice of when to fly and at what cost. Those same economies of scale are at the heart of the challenges faced by regional airports, ...
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When it comes to the tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal history, there are few areas more significant than Botany Bay. It was here that James Cook had his encounter with the Gweagal people in what would become the prelude to European settlement. It was also here in 1919 that aviation pioneer Nigel Love would establish an aircraft manufacturing facility that a year later would become the Mascot Aerodrome. Those two key ...
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The release of Sunshine Coast Airport’s Master Plan 2040 reveals an exciting future for the region. Passenger numbers are expected to more than double in the next 20 years to three million, unlocking tourism and economic benefits to support the region’s long-term prosperity. Much of the opportunity ahead will be made possible by the airport’s new runway, which is now under construction. The project is a good example of targeted investment to deliver ...
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Recently returned Airservices Australia executive Rob Porter is on a mission to modernise the nation’s aviation rescue and fire-fighting services and take them from “the Flintstones to the Jetsons”. The former general manager of Mackay Airport and deputy chair of the Australian Airports Association board returned to Airservices in January as executive general manager aviation rescue and fire fighting (ARFF), after 11 years away. One of his first acts was to issue ...
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Three months into his new job as head of aviation at Canberra Airport, Michael Thomson is keen to make the most of the opportunities he sees at a facility he has long admired as a traveller. Thomson sees an airport with the capacity to cope with double its current passenger throughput and opportunities to spark growth in areas such as low-cost travel, international services and freight. “We have a fantastic facility,’’ he ...
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The impact of climate change and the potential for more days of extreme heat are concerns for airports around the world but Adelaide Airport is investigating ways to use water to lower ambient temperatures. A trial involving SA Water and Adelaide Airport to assess the use of stormwater to irrigate big buffers around the airport has produced promising early results, demonstrating the cooling effect of lucerne hay. The trial compared lucerne against ...
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A new approach to airport pavements in Australia that could reduce maintenance costs and improve the durability of runways could be just around the corner. University of the Sunshine Coast research student Sean Jamieson will present a potential alternative option at the AAA Pavement Technology Workshop next month. The workshop will also give delegates the opportunity to hear about other industry research and technology standards, along with an international perspective from the ...
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Andrew Brodie is enjoying his new coastal lifestyle after moving from Brisbane to become the recently installed Chief Executive Officer of Sunshine Coast Airport. It was a big decision for Brodie to move from his role as a senior executive of a major capital city airport to run a regional airport, and one that he considered carefully. The decision was fuelled not by the lifestyle, although he finds that a big plus, ...
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The Gold Coast has sun, fun and sand but there’s one thing Australia’s playground has been needing for some time: expanded airport terminal facilities. That’s now well on its way thanks to a deal signed with property and infrastructure giant Lendlease to proceed with the next phase of Gold Coast Airport’s $370 million airport redevelopment, Project LIFT. The airport achieved the project’s first milestone in time for the successful Commonwealth Games in ...
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The much-anticipated confirmation of new Part 139 Aerodrome regulations was high on the agenda at the recent Australian Airports Association (AAA) inaugural safety forum in Melbourne. About 200 people signed up for the forum, organised jointly by CASA and the AAA, and CASA Senior Standards Officer Darren Angelo said Part 139 and the manual of standards was a key area of interest for the aerodromes sector. Whilst the Part 139 changes are ...
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