An honest look at small aerodromes

It must first involve an honest look at what role those airports now perform. Some may have to go and others be downgraded so that an essential network, able to withstand any scrutiny, results.

New England’s airports in Tony Windsor’s electorate are a classic case. After World War 2, Tamworth had a small airfield, Armidale an Anson strip and Inverell a light aircraft field. Glen Innes had a near complete airport conceived as a sea bombardment-proof part of the Brisbane Line with dual runways, one of them over 2135m long. East-West Ansons linked Tamworth, Armidale and Glen Innes, growing to Lockheed Hudsons, seeing Armidale relegated to a bus link to Tamworth while Inverell gained a bus to Glen Innes.

The arrival of DC-3s saw a new airport built at Tamworth, followed by similar facilities at Inverell, Armidale, Quirindi and nearby Gunnedah, while further north Warwick and Stanthorpe followed. East-West linked all eight (now two) to Sydney and six (now Tamworth) to Brisbane. When the DC-3s gave way to F27s, some airports were upgraded, but Warwick and Stanthorpe fell off the log.

Later, 52-seat F27-500s saw Gunnedah and Quirindi lose out, while Ansett’s takeover of EWA and later Qantas’s takeover of Impulse saw Beech 1900Ds introduced at Glen Innes and Inverell. The 1900Ds were sold and a downwards progression saw just Armidale and Tamworth to Sydney survive, both now serviced with 50 and 74-seat Dash 8 Q300s/ Q400s. The facts may be fares and frequencies on offer at these two ports rule out services at the six others, even with 18-seaters.

The same situation occurs nationally and, with the exception of ports supporting the mining industry, won’t go away.

Eastwards in Rob Oakeshott’s seat of Lyne two classic problems exist. Qantas and Virgin’s war at Port Macquarie killed off RPT services at nearby Kempsey, leaving the council pondering what to do with it, while Taree, a Rex port, has been ignored by both major airlines.

Given the pulling power of Port Macquarie and Newcastle/Williamtown, it might be prudent to resheet Taree only to Saab 340 level as passenger numbers plateau at 20,000 per annum.

This contrasts with Bundaberg at 120,000 passengers each year, which undertook a $4 million major upgrade to regional jet standards, but has yet to attract any. Jet services to Brisbane, just 155nm away, are a ridiculous proposition as even Dash 8 turboprops already cruise below their optimum levels on the run. For Virgin every Bundaberg-Sydney passenger would be one less through Hervey Bay, only a 130km drive away, while Qantas, with no suitable jets, would understandably protect its Bundaberg-Brisbane route providing wider connections. These towns aren’t remote and many capital city passengers endure longer drives to their airports.

This leaves airport tenants, ratepayers and small operators as the meat in the sandwich.

Up north in Bob Katter’s Kennedy, the Queensland scheme of protected and subsidised routes and the federal Remote Air Service Subsidy (RASS) scheme ensure that most of the 1950s DC-3 ports survive, with the problem being road access during the wet season. RASS aids communities with insufficient demand to justify the state government subsidised route system, which ties several ports together using Dash 8s and Saab 340s, normally twice weekly. These two systems must be closely looked at against remote and low use aerodromes nationally.

Where RPT cannot be justified, the essential nature of each aerodrome must be assessed against GA, aeromedical, emergency and national security needs. Charter and aeromed Beechcraft King Airs and RAAF C-130s don’t need much over 1000m of runway. Those judged essential but unviable by GA revenue should be funded by state and federal governments with users levied fair fees.

The yardstick in this case is Casino, which was once the F28 hub of the Northern Rivers of NSW, until Ballina bravely went jet and drained off vast numbers, leaving nearby Lismore surviving on peak timed Saab 340 services. The council promptly shortened Casino to 1100m, converting the rest to a caravan park. Lismore retained its airport, with Rex providing a business timed schedule as it does to nearby Ballina, while LCC jets fight over off-peak business. Hervey Bay has similarly crucified nearby Maryborough’s RPT services, leaving its future clouded.

Aeromedical operations may be open to evaluation. Cities up to around an hour by helicopter from capital cities often get both fixed wing and helicopter services.

Perhaps where large IFR helos can handle the situation, aeromed need not be a justification for retaining an airstrip. But given the cynical spin governments deal in – typified by the Queensland state government’s recent refusal of relocation funding for Caloundra airport and proclamation it was now “safe” (until rents are hiked to force airport tenants out in favour of houses) – who can be trusted to make honest, but essential, airport rationalisation decisions? Are the independents watching?