Bigger planes could be landing at Shellharbour Airport

At present, Link Airways operates passenger services out of the airport, flying to Melbourne and Brisbane six days a week using a 34-seater Saab 340B Plus.

On Tuesday night, Shellharbour councillors will consider the Shellharbour Airport Master Plan and vote on whether to place it on public exhibition.

The master plan looks at three different scenarios, the first of which is to leave operations as they are.

The second is to look to introduce aircraft like the Boeing 717 or Fokker F100, that can carry up to 135 passengers.

The final option is seeing aircraft like the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 - which carry more than 150 passengers - at the airport.

Of the two options, the master plan noted the second is possible - with the addition of airport security.

When the terminal was upgraded space was allowed for any later installation of passenger and baggage screening facilities.

The main runway at the airport is 30 metres wide and 1819 metres long, which is suitable for most of the aircraft that would fit into the second scenario.

There may be a need to develop a safety case for those aircraft to use the airport, but the master plan noted that "would be relatively straightforward and have a reasonable chance of obtaining approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Administration".

The third scenario wasn't recommended by the master plan's authors as it would require the creation of a 150-metre wide runway - in addition to lengthening it.

The report noted part of the land that would take up is not owned by the council.

"The airport has multiple physical constraints including large amounts of airport infrastructure, private land acquisitions and other obstacles that make it impractical and presently unachievable to create a 150-metre wide runway strip in the short to medium term," the council papers stated.

To allow for passenger aircraft carrying between 150-180 people the airport terminal would need to be upgraded, as it now has 150 seats.