Whyalla Airport
Encyclopedia
Whyalla Airport is an airport in Whyalla
, South Australia
.
has operated the airport since 1991 when it was handed over to the council by the Federal Labor Party who were in power at the time. Unfortunately for Whyalla, the main runway's pavement classification number (PCN) has deteriorated from 13 to the current PCN of 8. This has put a stop to all heavy aircraft, such as the Boeing 737
s and Airbus A320
, using the airport. Although such aircraft never operated on a RPT (Regular Passenger Transport) basis, they were a fairly common sight at Whyalla Airport due to charters.
The airport remained open for use by The Department of Defence C-130 Hercules transport aircraft until the late nineties. The City of Whyalla
, aware of the accelerating damage caused by C-130 ops, asked the Federal Government for financial assistance in upgrading the main runway to accommodate unrestricted C-130 operations. The idea was for the airport to accommodate medium sized commercial jets as well as the RAAF aircraft. The government declined to offer the City of Whyalla financial assistance to upgrade the main runway. John Smith (then the Mayor of Whyalla) immediately put a stop to all C-130 ops in Whyalla, causing the RAAF to use either Woomera Airfield
or RAAF Base Edinburgh
to fly in troops and supplies for the nearby Cultana Army Training Range. This restriction is still in place today.
As of 2008, the main runway remains substandard for anything other than SAAB 340 use or lower. This is significant, because the airport is still listed by Qantas
and Virgin Australia as the alternate for Adelaide Airport should that airport become inoperable for whatever reason. In 2004, Qantas requested permission to land a Boeing 767
at Whyalla Airport as both Adelaide and Melbourne
airports were closed due to fog. Council made the runway available should Qantas need it, but only on the understanding that the Boeing may not be able to take off again. The Qantas Boeing 767 made it safely to its intended destination, but the whole incident highlighted the need for Whyalla to upgrade its main runway to safely accommodate such aircraft in the future.
Whyalla Airport is now in a difficult position as the South Australia
n mining boom gets underway. The city would make an ideal fly in/fly out
location for the new mines, but lacks the airport infrastructure to accommodate commercial jets. The City of Whyalla lacks the funds to initiate an upgrade of the main runway and both the Federal and State Governments are reluctant to financially help out, regardless of which political party is in power. Although Whyalla is now growing again, there is no doubt that such growth will be stunted if the local airport cannot be upgraded to the specifications needed by both Defence and the mining industry.
On Wednesday, 17 September 2008, it was announced that Whyalla City Council were looking at spending over A$4 million on upgrading the airport to accept Boeing 737 aircraft. The council will carry out a study to determine if it the airport upgrade is economically feasible, and the study will also look at funding options. At the moment, Council does not have the required $4 million for the airport upgrade, but hopefully some grants will be made available for the upgrade via both the Federal and State Governments. One source of funding the council is looking at is selling of some of the airport land (of which there is plenty surrounding the actual airport itself) to raise the required funds. Although confidential at this stage, one task council did complete was a valuation of the airport land.
Council is in the process of handing over the day to day running of the airport to another company. This company is conducting its feasibility study and an answer is expected by the of August 2009. It is also believed that a bulky goods store will be established on the airport grounds along with a foodbank.
s served in financial year 2009-2010.
Whyalla, South Australia
-Demographics:According to the 2006 Census the population of the Whyalla census area was 21,122 people, making it the second largest urban area in the state outside of Adelaide...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Background
The council of the City of WhyallaCity of Whyalla
The City Of Whyalla is a local government area in South Australia, located at the top of the Eyre Peninsula. The council was established in 1970, replacing the town commission, which had been running the town previously...
has operated the airport since 1991 when it was handed over to the council by the Federal Labor Party who were in power at the time. Unfortunately for Whyalla, the main runway's pavement classification number (PCN) has deteriorated from 13 to the current PCN of 8. This has put a stop to all heavy aircraft, such as the Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s and Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, using the airport. Although such aircraft never operated on a RPT (Regular Passenger Transport) basis, they were a fairly common sight at Whyalla Airport due to charters.
The airport remained open for use by The Department of Defence C-130 Hercules transport aircraft until the late nineties. The City of Whyalla
City of Whyalla
The City Of Whyalla is a local government area in South Australia, located at the top of the Eyre Peninsula. The council was established in 1970, replacing the town commission, which had been running the town previously...
, aware of the accelerating damage caused by C-130 ops, asked the Federal Government for financial assistance in upgrading the main runway to accommodate unrestricted C-130 operations. The idea was for the airport to accommodate medium sized commercial jets as well as the RAAF aircraft. The government declined to offer the City of Whyalla financial assistance to upgrade the main runway. John Smith (then the Mayor of Whyalla) immediately put a stop to all C-130 ops in Whyalla, causing the RAAF to use either Woomera Airfield
Woomera Airfield
RAAF Woomera Airfield is an operational Royal Australian Air Force airfield located 4 km north of the Woomera Defence Village, in South Australia...
or RAAF Base Edinburgh
RAAF Base Edinburgh
RAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace....
to fly in troops and supplies for the nearby Cultana Army Training Range. This restriction is still in place today.
As of 2008, the main runway remains substandard for anything other than SAAB 340 use or lower. This is significant, because the airport is still listed by Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
and Virgin Australia as the alternate for Adelaide Airport should that airport become inoperable for whatever reason. In 2004, Qantas requested permission to land a Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
at Whyalla Airport as both Adelaide and Melbourne
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the...
airports were closed due to fog. Council made the runway available should Qantas need it, but only on the understanding that the Boeing may not be able to take off again. The Qantas Boeing 767 made it safely to its intended destination, but the whole incident highlighted the need for Whyalla to upgrade its main runway to safely accommodate such aircraft in the future.
Whyalla Airport is now in a difficult position as the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n mining boom gets underway. The city would make an ideal fly in/fly out
Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is common in large mining states in Australia...
location for the new mines, but lacks the airport infrastructure to accommodate commercial jets. The City of Whyalla lacks the funds to initiate an upgrade of the main runway and both the Federal and State Governments are reluctant to financially help out, regardless of which political party is in power. Although Whyalla is now growing again, there is no doubt that such growth will be stunted if the local airport cannot be upgraded to the specifications needed by both Defence and the mining industry.
On Wednesday, 17 September 2008, it was announced that Whyalla City Council were looking at spending over A$4 million on upgrading the airport to accept Boeing 737 aircraft. The council will carry out a study to determine if it the airport upgrade is economically feasible, and the study will also look at funding options. At the moment, Council does not have the required $4 million for the airport upgrade, but hopefully some grants will be made available for the upgrade via both the Federal and State Governments. One source of funding the council is looking at is selling of some of the airport land (of which there is plenty surrounding the actual airport itself) to raise the required funds. Although confidential at this stage, one task council did complete was a valuation of the airport land.
Council is in the process of handing over the day to day running of the airport to another company. This company is conducting its feasibility study and an answer is expected by the of August 2009. It is also believed that a bulky goods store will be established on the airport grounds along with a foodbank.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Whyalla Airport was ranked 49th in Australia for the number of revenue passengerRevenue passenger
A revenue passenger is someone who has paid the transport operator for her or his trip. That excludes non-paying passengers such as airline employees flying on free or nearly-free passes, babies and children who do not have a seat of their own, etc...
s served in financial year 2009-2010.