The unexpected news on Monday that passenger flights could return to link Wollongong with other Australian cities has sparked a flurry of support.
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Thousands of Mercury readers, as well as tourism and business leaders, welcomed the announcement that Shellharbour councillors would on Tuesday consider the business case for allowing a regular passenger service out of Albion Park.
Preparing to meet with other councillors on Tuesday night, Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba confirmed the council was already considering "interested parties" and had examined possible destinations for the domestic flight service.
However, she would not name a specific carrier or outline any details of the report the council will consider, saying this could hinder any negotiations.
Cr Saliba welcomed widespread support for the potential return of passenger flights, indicating she would support moves to encourage domestic carriers to fly in and out of the region.
“I recognise that we have an asset there in the regional airport that’s being underutilised and I have been a strong advocate for regular passenger transport,” Cr Saliba said.
“I would love to see it started up and see the opportunities for our community that it could bring.”
She said she would like to see progress “by the end of the year” but acknowledged there were a number of steps to bring the plans to fruition.
Talks of bringing domestic passenger flights back to the Illawarra emerged once again in 2015, when the council adopted a new business plan for the airport to guide development over the next 20 years.
In that plan, the council said it would be “negligent” not to consider a passenger service as part of the airport’s future.
Council noted noted Albion Park had hosted Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) between Wollongong and Melbourne twice in the past 15 years, with 1344 average monthly passengers recorded between 2005 and 2008.
“On both occasions the service was discontinued as a result of the operator deeming the service to be uncommercial,” the council plan said.
“Even given past unsuccessful services, it would be negligent to not ensure that the airport layout caters for RPT services in the future.”
At present, the airport is maintained as a Code 2 airport, meaning it has a runway capable of hosting planes that need between 800 and 1200 metres to take off and land.
However, the council said it may consider a business case to become a Code 3 airport, where much bigger planes could land. It is not clear whether the business case being discussed on Tuesday night would make way for this work.
The strategic plan notes upgrading the airport would require the council to buy property from land owners on the west of the east/west runway, and says the work to widen the runway would “be financially prohibitive and beyond the means of council funding alone”.
Introducing passenger flights would also require a significant upgrade to airport facilities (the terminal was destroyed in a fire in 2013), the plan said, to provide “safe, convenient and comfortable facilities” like toilets, waiting areas and food and beverages outlets, as well as linkages and supporting infrastructure for other transport services such as taxis, hire cars, buses and trains.
“It is known that transport customers value frequency, reliability, cleanliness and accessibility to provide a comfortable seamless journey,” the plan said.
Tourism to drive flight demand: leaders
The Illawarra’s tourism boss says the region’s booming tourist industry would make a regular passenger fight service out of Albion Park last the distance the third time around.
Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh said he was surprised by news Shellharbour council was considering the business case to bring back domestic flights to the Illawarra Regional Airport.
But he said the region was “maturing as a destination” and would attract more passengers than in the past.
“Previously, this was underpinned by corporate [passengers] but now we would hope the emergence of the South Coast as a genuine leisure destination would make it more appealing,” he said.
“We’ve had the start of the cruise ship program, there’s the fantastic work Shellharbour council have done with the marina… and all of these things are starting to give people reasons to travel here.
“A genuine tourism destination has an airport, and there’s no reason why Wollongong and the South Coast shouldn’t have one.”
The region’s business lobby said the council’s move was timely, pointing out that many businesses across the region would value flights to Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Newcastle.
Illawarra Business Chamber’s executive director Chris Lamont said fuel prices had dropped since Qantas’ Albion Park flights were cancelled in 2008.
“A lot has happened since 2008 and regional growth, diversification of business activity and growth of the tourism industry are in themselves justifications for passenger flights to and from the Illawarra,” he said.
“The demand for passenger flights was previously demonstrated and we encourage domestic carriers to look at the region seriously.”