Latest news and insights from Australia’s airports

PODCAST: Sydney Airport General Manager Safety, Sustainability, Environment Jane Rotsey

As a consultant early in her career, Jane Rotsey had the chance to be airside the day Prime Minister Paul Keating officially opened Sydney Airport’s new parallel runway. It was a day that represented the beginnings of a long association with the airport over the course of her career. Today, Jane leads the key portfolio of safety, sustainability and environment at the nation’s busiest airport. She says those early days in the industry ...

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Canberra Airport portable firefighting base ready for action

As tinder-dry swathes of rural Australia face a potential horror bushfire season, a project hosted by Canberra International Airport will help ensure aerial firefighters are ready for action. A portable air base covering the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding areas of NSW is primed to supply fire retardant and a back-up supply of water should the need arise. It means aircraft tackling fires in the region will not have to return to ...

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Driver demand and the autonomous future of airport parking

Airports will need to start planning now for a future where autonomous vehicles will fundamentally change the landscape of airport car parking. That’s the message from an L.E.K. report on the future of car parking, which predicts connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will see a decline in car parking demand post 2040. In the meantime, the report finds airports are already responding to changing behaviour by airport visitors that now have more ...

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SYD Stories celebrates centenary year

There are two massive milestones for Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport this year. One comes in November when the airport celebrates the 100th anniversary of World War I veteran Nigel Love climbing into an Avro 504K with photographer Billy Marshall and taking off from a former cattle paddock in Mascot. The other will be the airport’s billionth passenger. Just how a bullock paddock became Australia’s busiest air hub is a fascinating story that had its ...

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World Routes to put South Australia on global stage

More than 3000 aviation delegates will flood into Adelaide in September to celebrate an event that is not just a first for Australia but an event that will directly contribute $20 million to the local economy. The World Routes conference also brings to South Australia a hotbed of networking that will sow the seeds for longer-term relationships that can add millions more. World Routes is a huge event on the global aviation ...

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“Way beyond a transport hub”: Darwin’s aviation history from the great race to today

When filmmaker Andrew Hyde set out to research the history of aviation in the Northern Territory, there was no shortage of colourful tales of derring-do. As the gateway to Northern Australia, Darwin’s aviation story was launched by an international event that for its day has been likened to the Apollo moon landing. That event was the arrival of the Smith brothers in a Vickers Vimy to claim the £10,000 prize from the ...

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Local produce the hero in Canberra Airport refresh

Canberra Airport is undertaking a complete refresh and significant expansion of its retail, food and beverage offering in a move its head of property Richard Snow calls the last piece of the airport puzzle. Central to the revamp is a significant focus on local companies designed to showcase the quality food, beverages, gifts and produce available in the Canberra region. “We’re going from four stores to nine total on the domestic departures ...

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‘Hashtag Perth’ shakes dullsville tag

In the early 1970s, West Australian tourism authorities used what was then the latest technology to produce a campaign that rocked the state. It combined a multi-screen visual feast of the West’s spectacular scenery with some serious sonic firepower and the driving music of Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days”. The show toured regional areas and it left some of those who saw it sufficiently pumped that it was recently a topic ...

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Brisbane Airport consolidates U.S. gateway status

It will be the fourth longest passenger flight in the world and it will connect the third largest cities in two countries, opening up a new market for Australia and Queensland. The new, four-times weekly Brisbane to Chicago service is generating excitement at both ends of the route and helps consolidate Brisbane’s status as a gateway to North America. In addition to its 14,326km Chicago route, Qantas is also adding a three-times ...

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Passenger stories bring NT experience to life

Visual artist Tamara Howie has been surprised by the breadth of stories people have shared during her creative residency at Darwin International Airport. Howie’s residency, part of the airport’s innovative Green Room program, combines her skills of writing, art and photography. She expected people to have a quick chat in passing as she collected stories for her project. Instead, she found people intrigued by the project that began in May. [socialpug_tweet tweet="“People have ...

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