Perth Airport continues to surge

[Tim C]

Airport use continues to surge
Chalpat Sonti
January 7, 2009 - 8:37AM

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/airport-use-continues-to-surge-20090106-7b3x.html

There might be an economic crisis and tourism might be in the doldrums, but Perth Airport is busier than ever.

Latest federal government figures on usage for the often-criticised airport show 837,424 passengers used the airport in October, the highest for any month this year. The month was the busiest October on record nationally.

They took the number of passengers using the airport in the first 10 months of 2008 to more than 7.6 million, putting it well on target to break its own estimate of 9 million for 2008.

About one-quarter of October users were international passengers, with regional numbers holding up well at 40,776 despite a downturn in the mining industry.

Total aircraft movements for the month, at 6457, were also a high for the year.

Meanwhile Perth's - and one of Australia's - busiest international routes, to and from Singapore, also grew slightly in October.


With 82,397 people flying the route, it held its position as the nation's third-busiest internationally, albeit with just 197 more passengers than October 2007.

But growth for the year to October was more impressive, at 4.5 per cent. More than 957,000 passengers flew the route, behind only Sydney-Auckland (1.2m) and Sydney-Singapore (1.06m).


However, traffic to and from Bali almost doubled, to 33,357, and there was an almost 60 per cent increase in the Hong Kong route, with 16,697 passengers.

On the other hand, traffic to and from Dubai dropped about one-quarter on the previous year, with 24,548 passengers.

Perth Airport has been the subject of stinging criticism, from both state and federal politicians and the general public.

However, it has started a $1 billion upgrade which will eventually bring the domestic and international terminals together.

[NickN]

Well done to you guys over there in the west. Looks like good times ahead.

[Montague S]

good times, crap airport!

[NickN]

Can't have your cake and eat it too. Although it sounds like when the upgrade is done you will.

[Montague S]

well the upgrade has been scaled down...

[Bob C]

I've never been a fan of the merged terminals concept and very much doubt that it will solve the problems and will surely create more, particularly in regards to vehicle access and parking.

Sandgropers only have to ask themselves how can they see Horrie Miller Drive coping with all the vehicle traffic that now feeds into the existing domestic terminal ? Already the intersection of Horrie Miller Drive and Tonkin Highway is very congested at peak times so are any plans in place to overcome this ? And with commercial development along HMD continuing unabated, there are bound to be accidents which will cause delays, missed flights etc etc.

The problem would be further exacerbated if all the FIFO workers had to use Terminal W A which one assumed was the original intention but that does not now appear to be so (in the short term).

And as for public transport access, forget it ! We'll probably only get a token bus service from ???? A rail link had been included in the original proposal but that would have only served a very small segment of the market and wasn't of any use to those living in the sprawling Northern, Southern and Western suburbs of Perth. I believe that the rail link has now be dropped (by the new Liberal Government ?)

The "Perth Airport Vision" issued in May 2008 was changed soon after and the separate Terminal WA concept seems anything but as I believe that even Skywest (W A's own airline) is resisting the forced relocation.

Skywest is apparently waiting for a larger airline to commit - who are they talking about - Qantaslink ? And even WAC appears to be talking down Terminal WA now and has mentioned it being used for INTERSTATE flights and by LCCs.

I still believe that separate terminals are better as on an average night, 30-38aircraft from QANTAS, QANTASLINK, Virgin Blue, Skywest, Alliance and Ozjet overnight in Perth. I've excluded those operated by FIFO specialists NJS, Skippers, Network, Maroomba etc which would double that number.

My preference would have been a revamped International Terminal with extra gates and a totally new Domestic Terminal on the existing site. It could have been shaped like an inverted "T" with 40 or more gates (to allow for growth) in three separate wings -the centre one for the QF group, one for Skywest and the third for other carriers.

A multi level carpark (a la Brisbane and Melbourne) could have been constructed adjacent to the Terminal.

Oh well !

[Ellis Taylor]

The traffic problems really could be changed with the proposed overpass on Tonkin HWY, which the state government is warming to. Bear in mind that there is also going to be a road through from the existing domestic precinct to Horrie Miller part of the way down the road, which gives some alternative access to the international precinct.

Since its design, the TWA has been envisioned as something for both the FIFO operators as well as a quasi-LCC terminal. When I interviewed Brad Geatches last year for the article in AA, he talked about using TWA for Jetstar and Tiger's domestic flights, and it may also play a role in taking some other flights before everything is consolidated.

The problem with the domestic precinct is that there simply isn't enough airside access to accomodate all those aircraft or to expand the facilities to handle the medium term growth. To make the area work would require some massive capital investment and a helluva lot of inconvenience for passengers, which is probably why they chose to look at the consolidation earlier. Sure, it's probably going to be put back a bit due to the economic slowdown, but at the end of the day it makes much more sense to go over the international side.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Praise to the airport for sorting out the long term problems.

They've built 2 long term car parks, and finally gotten the idea right of offering a quickcheck machine, 3 monitors for flight times, and drinks and food machines in an air conditioned room while you wait for the new (yes, we havent had one before a few months ago) transfer bus for long term -> terminal.

They have also put in an inter terminal transfer bus to go to the international terminal, which i only assume is free. You used to have to pay $8 for the privelidge of getting taken...

[Brenden S]

Oh and not to mention that Terminal WA will have no Aerobridges at all.

[Bruce Bramwell]

Terminal WA

Why? If its going to be used mainly be regionals who use turboprops then why use aerobridge.... its quicker to turn the page round by not using the aerobridge

[Bob C]

Hi Ellis

I believe that an overpasss on the intersection of Leach Highway and Tonkin Highway has been under consideration for several years and the continuation through airport land would link up with Horrie Miller Drive at a new roundabout. But that will be at least two years away.

And a similar option is also under consideration for the intersection of Horrie Miller Drive and Tonkin Highway. But what concerns me when the new complex is finally operational in 5/7 years, is the large volume of traffic that would be funnelled along the two lane HMD to the new terminal competing with the behemoths from the ever increasing industrial/commercial estates springing up along HMD.

W A drivers aren't the greatest users of roundabouts and with several along HMD there are bound to be accidents.

The new airside road is also long overdue and will reduce travelling times between the existing Domestic and International Terminals. This will be completed within 12 months but are there plans within this timeframe to have a spur road that will connect with an intersection at Leach Highway? If not the new road will only benefit those few travelling between the two terminals and will be of no use to those of us living in the southern suburbs as we would still have to use Tonkin Highway and Leach Highway to access the existing domestic terminal.

And how do those motorists travelling from the Eastern, Western and Northern suburbs access the new road to the IT ? It would appear that they would have to take a diversion and travel along Brearley Avenue to exit at the new roundabout then continue along the new link road. So more traffic for an already overstretched domestic precinct. It doesn't seem to make sense as they might as well use Tonkin Highway.

And what happens in 6/7 years time when all the proposed changes have occurred ? Will the new road on airport land still be available to those motorists who have no aviation related business as the existing Domestic Terminal will probably be demolished or put to some other non aviation use ?

I take your point about the lack of available aircraft parking space at the Domestic side but I do wonder if this may not have been a problem had all the airport land been used for aviation purposes rather then for some commercial use. And can you envisage the congestion and forest of aircraft tails at the merged terminal complex if all operators relocate ?

I still very much doubt that all the FIFO operators will relocate to the new complex as their administration and maintenance facilities would then be several kms away on the other side of the airport. Not very efficient or cost effective.

And the provision of aerobridges for jets at the new TWA depends on whether or not operators want them. Apparently not it seems.

I'm probably looking through rose coloured glasses but I thought that better minds than mine could have found a solution at the Domestic terminal problems by relocating some of the smaller operators from down near gate 4 and continuing the terminal along from the Virgin Blue end. Likewise at the other end.

Even a small realignment of the terminal to enable more efficient use of space may have been necessary. Perhaps this could have been done in stages and would have certainly inconvenienced passengers but I remember the renovations to the TAA/Australian Airlines terminal at Sydney in the 80s, Tullamarine in the 90s and also the construction of the Multi Level carpark at
Tullamarine in the 90s which didn't appear to cause undue stress.

All very much what if.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Why? If its going to be used mainly be regionals who use turboprops then why use aerobridge.... its quicker to turn the page round by not using the aerobridge

The wishes of the operators were that all inter-WA departures would use terminal wa - this includes QF, who fly lots of 738's into Broome, Karratha, Newman, Kununnara etc.\, and also DJ, who fly into Broome, Karratha and Newman with E-190/738 equipment.

[Bob C]

The wishes of the operators or WAC ?

By my count on November 17, Qantas, Qantaslink, Skywest, Virgin, Alliance and Ozjet had 26 departures to regional W A destinations between 0515 and 0800.

When you add those of NJS, Skippers, Network, and Maroomba there would probably be more than 50 which would make for a very congested TWA.

WAC and the operators are still very quiet about who will actually move into TWA when it begins opeartion within two years.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Bobby, by operators i meant WAC.

Thankyou for pointing that out.

[Bob C]

That's my point, Rhys, do the airline operators really want to operate out of TWA or does WAC want to force them into doing so ?

I guess it's all really academic at this stage and we might as well wait to see what happpens.

[Brenden S]

How good is this. WAC have run out of parking spaces for aircraft now, and are now starting to park them up at the intl. FKA is on bay 50 now. Love it.

[Tim C]

Bit of a update with Januarys figures. Still booming! Just a pity the place is a absolute shambles. WAC stil no urgency to fix the main problem. Instead using all their resources on a regional terminal which it is dubious what regional airlines will use anyway.

Passenger numbers lift for Perth airport
24-February-09 by Edited announcement

January passenger figures for Perth Airport have shown continued growth in both the domestic and international sectors, new figures show.

The number of international passengers travelling through Perth Airport increased by 7.9 per cent on January last year and financial year to date passenger figures for international travellers was up overall by 4.5 per cent to 1.5 million passengers.

Perth Airport chief executive Brad Geatches said Perth has benefited from a range of new services operating to and from Perth in the last few months which was being reflected in the solid passenger numbers.

"The increase in low cost carriers operating services to Perth has meant Western Australians have had the opportunity to take advantage of lower airfares," he said.

"These January passenger figures demonstrate that Western Australians have enjoyed these increased international services and realised it was a great opportunity to travel.

"AirAsia X, the newest low-cost carrier to commence services to Perth has six weekly services to Kuala Lumpur connecting to a wide range of destinations in Asia (and to London in March). Both Jetstar and Virgin Blue now fly direct to Bali, complementing the long standing Garuda services. These South East Asian destinations are very popular with the Western Australian market.

"We've also experienced strong growth in services operating to China as Cathay Pacific introduced daily services to Hong Kong as a result of increased passenger figures.

"The number of visitors to Perth from South Africa has also grown, resulting in South African Airways introducing new and larger aircraft with A340-600's,"Mr Geatches said.

On the domestic and regional front, passenger numbers were up by 5.3 per cent on January 2008 and up by 8.9 per cent for the financial year to date to 4.2 million passengers.

Domestic passenger traffic has been assisted by intrastate services and by new services to Sydney and Brisbane with Virgin Blue

Mr Geatches said Virgin Blue's decision to launch services to Newman and Karratha last year as well as base their new Embraer aircraft in Perth, demonstrated confidence in the regional market.

"Jetstar, continuing to build its Perth presence, commenced additional domestic services this month and now flies to Adelaide and Cairns and Tiger Airways will soon commence flights to Adelaide, on top of their service to Melbourne.

"These extra domestic services provide more flexibility for travellers and with most airlines promoting great fares it represents a great time to fly," Mr Geatches said.

[Brad Myer]

How is the QF domestic terminal upgrade progressing? When is the completion date?

[David M]

Maybe Perth airport could take a leaf out of Adelaide's book and try doing this....

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3445.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3478.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3467.jpg

David.M.

More photos ot come in the next few days as demolition continues.

[Tim C]

Maybe Perth airport could take a leaf out of Adelaide's book and try doing this....

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3445.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3478.jpg

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww4/ypad_dave/ADL_demolition_IMG_3467.jpg

David.M.

More photos ot come in the next few days as demolition continues.

Lol Dave thats what the whole joint needs. However we get bandaid after bandaid after bandaid after bandaid!

[Rhys Xanthis]

Lol Dave thats what the whole joint needs. However we get bandaid after bandaid after bandaid after bandaid!

Exactly right.

We just got a 3rd baggage carousel for QF, and finally an internal link between QF and Virgin/Tiger/SkyWest/Alliance etc terminals.

[Bob C]

The third carousel has been operational for many months and the wall between the Qantas and Virgin terminals was demolished about the same time.

Nothing really new about the access between the terminals as it wasn't that long ago that there was still exterior access between the two - ie remember the Black Swans in the courtyard pool ?

And I also recall that there was interior access between the TAA/Australian/Qantas and Ansett/Virgin etc etc etc terminals.