Confronting an uneasy future

Australia’s metro airports are the secondary airports located in Australia’s capital cities. They are not only significant centres of aviation activity in their own right, but are also a key to ensuring the future efficient operation of the primary airports in their cities. The metro airports include: Bankstown and Camden in Sydney, Essendon and Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) in Melbourne, Archerfield in Brisbane, Parafield in Adelaide, and Jandakot in Perth.

Each of the metro airports was privatised by the Commonwealth of Australia over the period 1998 to 2003. While the Commonwealth retains ownership of the land on which the airports are located, private companies now hold 50‑year leases with 49-year renewal options and operate the airports on a commercial basis.

Today each of the metro airports is a bustling hub of aviation activity. While the primary capital city airports may host the vast majority of Australia’s regular public transport (RPT) air passenger traffic and the largest aircraft, they are not necessarily the busiest airports in the country. In 2013-14 three of the top four busiest airports in Australia (in terms of aircraft movements) were metro airports. This highlights the important role these airports play in providing facilities for flight training schools, recreational and private chartered aircraft services, as well as a base for many aerial emergency services providers.

Beyond aeronautical services, metro airports are increasingly investing in important non-aeronautical developments that are providing a range of business and retail services to the local community that would often not otherwise be possible without the cooperation of the airport. These developments include commercial office buildings, large retail outlets, supermarkets, cafes, telecommunication infrastructure, and industrial facilities and warehouses to name but a few.

At the same time, the metro airports confront an uneasy future and require sensitive and tailored consideration by Commonwealth, state and local governments if they are to achieve their great potential contribution to the futureof Australian aviation and the Australian economy and community more generally. There are currently a number of policy and regulatory barriers that are unnecessarily burdening Australia’s metro airports. Under the current legislation, all the metro airports must comply with the same Commonwealth planning laws and requirements as those that apply to the much larger and well-resourced primary capital city airports. Compliance with these requirements is unduly expensive and imposes a disproportionately heavy burden on metro airports and is an issue that must be addressed.

There are numerous issues within the Airports Act 1996 that unnecessarily impact metro airports and need to be addressed. The requirement for a new 20-year master plan to be submitted every five years is too frequent and the requirement for it to be completely revised rather than updated is too onerous. The triggers for when a major development plan (MDP) is required are artificially low, have notkept pace with inflation, and apply to too many types of developments. The legislation also needs to be adjusted to ensure that the conditions for MDP approvals are flexible enough to accommodate changes in market circumstances beyond the airports’ control. Both master plans and MDPs are also subject to excessive public comment periods, unnecessarily lengthy approval times, as well as resource-intensive and protracted variation processes.

In addition to MDP and master plan requirements, there are several other issues under the Airports Act 1996 that must also be addressed. The present requirements for community aviation consultation groups and planning coordination forums need to be reviewed to consider whether their intended benefit can be more efficiently and affordably achieved. Limitations on on-airport activities like the sale of lottery tickets at terminal newsagency kiosks are also unnecessarily prohibitive and an economic barrier. There is also a need for greater transparency in decision-making under the Act to ensure that airports are able to comment on all the material being considered by the decision-maker.

While the AAA recognises that the government is currently reviewing some of the requirements under the Airports Act 1996 (particularly in relation to master plans and MDPs), there is still much work to be done. The AAA is committed to working with the government and its relevant agencies to address the regulatory barriers that are impeding the growth and efficient operation of our airport members.

It is critical that the government recognises the essential role that metro airports play in supporting the aviation sector and the economic development of their local communities. Industry and government must work together to remove all unnecessary regulatory barriers and ensure that our metro airports can thrive and continue contributing to Australia’s social and economic prosperity.