Latest news and insights from Australia’s airports

From red dust to green pastures – mentoring across the country

The red dust of the North-West iron ore town of Port Hedland is a long way from the pastures of Hamilton in Victoria but an airport mentoring program has bridged the continent-spanning distance. It’s a program that Southern Grampians Shire Council Asset Coordinator Mary Irwin and Port Hedland International Airport General Manager Rod Evans have found enjoyable and valuable. The Australian Airports Association hosted the program in 2019-20 to support professional growth ...

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Regions must keep flying in challenging times: Stewart

Co-funding arrangements, staff retention and maintaining regulatory compliance are among the issues facing regional airports as they grapple with the fallout of COVID-19, according to AAA NSW Director Julie Stewart While regional airlines have received $198 million in targeted Federal government aid, Stewart says the only Federal subsidy available to regional airports is the JobKeeper package and not every organisation will be eligible. She also warns that many existing grants available to ...

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Dubbo projects build capacity, connectivity for regional hub

Anything that delays work on airport infrastructure is normally a cause for gritted teeth and dark mumblings. But it’s a different question when that cause happens to be rain in previously parched areas of regional New South Wales. Dubbo City Regional Airport had begun work on the latest of an impressive list of recent improvements — its regular public transport (RPT) southern apron expansion — when the long hoped-for rain arrived and ...

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Intra-regional flights promote safe travels in the Pilbara

The northern end of Western Australia is known for being remote, with travel between major towns often meaning a lengthy drive through baron environments. It takes five and a half hours, for example, to drive from the regional hub of Karratha to the mining town of Newman. This can become costly and driving these long distances does raise concerns for safety. Those wanting to fly have until now faced the time-consuming and ...

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Historical roots shape Narromine’s aviation future

As war hero Captain Gordon “Skipper” Wilson landed his two-seat Avro 504K at Narromine in 1919 he would have had no conception of what would unfold there over the next century. Wilson was one of the first military pilots to engage in civil aviation after World War 1 and brought a taste of the new industry to the NSW regional town on 22 September as part of a tour promoting the ...

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New name breathes new life into Shellharbour Airport

An attractive new name and a new revamp are breathing fresh life into one of the NSW south coast’s signature airports. Shellharbour Airport – previously known as Illawarra Regional Airport – has already made the commercial change to its new name. But on 7 November, it also becomes official with the UN-based International Civil Aviation Organization and Australian aviation authorities. The airport south of Sydney, which today is widely known as the ...

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Double the passengers, double the fun at Whitsunday Coast Airport

There’s something fishy going on at the Whitsunday Coast Airport and passengers are loving it. A giant 30,000-litre aquarium in the arrivals and departures lounge has become home to more than 100 reef fish. The 10-metre-long tank boast four tonnes of moulded coral with a unique heart-shaped rock forming the centre piece. The unique project, designed to showcase the region’s world-famous Great Barrier Reef attractions, aims to get visitors into holiday mode as ...

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Securing regional airports’ future

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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Emerald vision for regional service hub

Emerald Airport is getting primed for a return to growth after the mining boom, with Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC) embarking on a new program to meet community needs. The airport, an important gateway for the local resources and agricultural industries, is getting a major facelift that includes a $13 million runway and apron overlay project as well as a major makeover of its general aviation facilities. It caters for a variety ...

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Breadth of regional aviation part of the appeal at Whyalla

It was vacancies for not one but two jobs that drew Whyalla Airport Manager Operations Howard Aspey into the world of aviation. Whyalla City Council had posted vacancies for a caretaker and administrator at the local airport but could not get anyone to fill either position. Aspey, who had worked in a number of roles at the Council, raised his hand to do both. That was almost two decades ago and the new ...

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