Western Sydney ‘not the centre of the universe’, says Avalon Airport
Avalon Airport is asking for a small investment in a rail fix, as well as the same guarantees around air traffic control and other services that the government is offering Western Sydney International Airport. Avalon Airport, a major international airport in Western Sydney, is looking to find an equivalent service and reliability for air traffic control operating hours for its 38 major freight liners due at the airport over the next eight weeks. The airport is at the end of the line in Australia and as far south as Melbourne, so airlines that fly via hubs like Hong Kong or the Middle East often arrive late at night. A Melbourne Airport-commissioned economic impact analysis conducted by EY and released in mid-September said an average daily international service is worth $154 million a year to the Victorian economy and supports 1380 jobs. Avalon Airport has already created an industrial freight precinct and 2000 jobs, with Cotton-On, Petstock and Australia Post distribution centres already set up. It is in talks with the Victorian state government and the Federal government to split the cost three-ways, which Mr Brun said represents “a bargain” given the volume of people the airport can serve.
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“But we need equivalence of service and reliability for our air traffic control operating hours, for our firefighting operating hours, for the Border Force and the biosecurity operations,” he said.
“They’re all committed and guaranteed for Western Sydney, but for us, they’re not and that creates problems for airlines wanting to operate here and even freight operations.”
Avalon has 38 major freight liners due at the airport over the next eight weeks, Mr Brun explained, including big planes like Boeing 747s and Antonovs. But being at the end of the line in Australia and as far south as Melbourne means “we’re takers of time slots”, so airlines that fly via hubs like Hong Kong or the Middle East often arrive late at night.
“We have to juggle around when air traffic control can be available, whereas when Western Sydney opens, they’ve been guaranteed that it will be open 24/7,” he said.
“And if we can get the Commonwealth government to say ‘yep, Avalon is Melbourne’s second international airport, no different to Western Sydney’, and we are also assured that there will be across the board air traffic control and firefighting services at that airport, the airlines will come like the sun comes up in the east in the morning. They’ll fly here.”
A Melbourne Airport-commissioned economic impact analysis, conducted by EY and released in mid-September, said an average daily international service is worth $154 million a year to the Victorian economy and supports 1380 jobs.
Mr Brun said Avalon has already created an industrial freight precinct and 2000 jobs, with Cotton-On, Petstock and Australia Post distribution centres already set up. Avalon expects to create another 5000 to 6000 jobs in the next five years, adding more impetus to connect the airport to existing rails.
Avalon Airport has already costed adding a stop on the train line from Melbourne to Geelong to connect more passengers with the two major cities. It says a new station near Lara and a 6-minute electric bus route would cost only $140 million, or just 1 per cent of the recently postponed Melbourne Airport rail link estimate.
Avalon is in talks with the Victorian state government and the Federal government to split the cost three-ways, which Mr Brun said represents “a bargain” given the volume of people the airport can serve.
“Our 60-minute drive time catchment has 3.3 million people compared to two and a half million for Western Sydney,” Mr Brun said.
“A lot of the discussion is around western Sydney being the centre of the universe. Well, actually western Melbourne is much bigger.”
Temi: Australia