Issue 97: June 1994
Breaking Up the FAC: A Dumb Idea!
It seems that barely a month is allowed to pass without we in aviation having to wade into yet another battle with our political masters over some form of aeronautical insanity. The latest assault revolves around Transport Minister Laurie Brereton’s lust for selling off Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport, beginning a process that will inevitably lead to the eventual break-up of the Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) as outlined in the May 4 Working Nation statement. A dumb, really dumb idea if ever there was one.
Let’s quietly look at the situation. The FAC was established by the Federal Government in 1988 to own and manage the major airports of Australia. However, of the 23 airports under the FAC flag, just seven are what one would call profitable. All of the GA (General Aviation) airports and some of the smaller jetports don’t currently turn a profit, though their losses in recent years (despite the recession) have been easing and profitability is expected to come to most of them before the decade is out.
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