Virgin Blue to build maintenance hangar at Sydney Airport

[Rob R]

From Flightglobal

Virgin Blue will construct a maintenance hangar at Sydney Airport as part of a new engineering base to support its operations at its busiest airport.

The base, due to be completed late next year pending approval, will cost over A$40 million ($40.2 million) and will support up to 300 jobs, New South Wales Premiere Kristina Keneally says.

"Having a dedicated maintenance base here in Sydney, complementing those we already have in Brisbane and Melbourne, will create significant benefits to our business in terms of optimising scheduling and network operations and also generating potential revenue opportunities by offering use of the facility to partner airlines," says Virgin Blue's CEO John Borghetti.

The hangar will be for line and base maintenance, he adds. It can accommodate four narrow-body aircraft or two narrow-body aircraft and one wide-body aircraft.

Virgin Blue operates 95 flights a day through Sydney and 15 to 20 aircraft overnight at the airport every night, the carrier says.

The Virgin Blue Group currently operates 53 Boeing 737s, five 777-300ERs, and 16 Embraer E-190s, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.

The carrier's six Embraer E-170 aircraft will leave the fleet this year while its first of four Airbus A330-200 aircraft will arrive next month.

The carrier yesterday announced an order for up to 18 ATR 72 aircraft. The aircraft will be operated in the Virgin livery by Western Australia's Skywest.

Sydney Airport has welcomed Virgin Blue's decision to build a maintenance hangar at the airport, as well as the airline group's first flight today between Sydney and Abu Dhabi.

"The new hangar and maintenance base will create jobs and the new service between Sydney and Abu Dhabi provides more choice for international visitors and Australian travellers alike," says the airport's CEO Russell Balding.

[Chris W]

Any ideas on where this will be located? I don't think there is any room at the Eastern Park or near the QF Jet Base.

[Brenden S]

Cost over $40 Million, now that is going to be a good hangar.

[Owen H]

So an airline is being allowed to build a new hanger and faclilty at one of the most space-constrained airports in the world which is desperately short of parking and terminal space.

Logical.

[Sarah C]

They are probably paying half of that to MacBank just for the land! :o

[Nigel C]

There is reference in the 2009 Master Plan (available to the public on the Sydney Airport website) to "three wide-bodied aircraft hangar bays along Ross Smith Avenue" in the NE sector. Given there's not a lot of room north of the 25 threshold, I can only imagine this means up near Execujet and where the horse corral is currently located. Anywhere south of here would likely run into OLS issues with Rwy 25

[D Chan]

would they get rid of the long term carpark, and use that space for the hangars?

[Will H]

Photo/map of MX hangar location as supplied by VB:

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg610/scaled.php?tn=0&server=610&filename=h89as.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

https://twitter.com/winglets747/status/40609290267926528

[Nigel C]

Which is all well and good, but there's a need to accommodate the corporate FBO's. Hopefully the cart's not put before the horse...

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Not to mention loss of good photography opportunities of corporate stuff, but still possibilities.

[Nigel C]

Perhaps, but depending on where the corporate stuff goes, it may present better opportunities too.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Well yes we will have to wait but from the 'proposed site' you need access to the VB hangar so nothing can really park near it.

The master plan 2010 published in the July 1990 shows (amongst a shortened 07/25 runway) corporate hangars and parking south of General Holmes Drive.

[Paul f.]

Perhaps, but depending on where the corporate stuff goes, it may present better opportunities too.MEL:p

[Brenden S]

Why can't they build stuff between the 2 runways 16/34 L/R? Or will that pose as an obstacle?

[Nigel C]

There may well be height and navaid restrictions for any development, however the publically available 2009 Master Plan I referred to earlier does have reference to proposed future development in this area.

[Rob R]

Doesn't matter if it's built in the Eastern park or between the 2 runways there will be some issue with take off splays. Operating into SYD today I was looking at where a hangar that size could be built with minimal impact on other operators and the only area I can see would be north of B10, between the fire station and the radar site. This area as the length and width required for an apron and hangar that would fit a wide body in. It is also all vacant land with some being used for storage. Look at the size of the QF hangars and gives you and idea of the area needed to fit a hangar on.

[Mario Facchini]

There may well be height and navaid restrictions for any development, however the publically available 2009 Master Plan I referred to earlier does have reference to proposed future development in this area.

If i recall, didn't lindsay fox want to build hangars in that area a while back???

[Nigel C]

Doesn't matter if it's built in the Eastern park or between the 2 runways there will be some issue with take off splays.

By my calculations, you can have an obstacle between 25 and 40 metres high at that part of the eastern park and be under the OLS. And between a line from just west of the No 1 fire station to the TAR, obstacles up to 30m aren't an issue from what I can gather.

[Micheil Keegan]

Are the works that are being setup in the eastern park the beginnings of this new Hangar?

[Nigel C]

No...they're just for an eastwards extension of that current Dom-6 apron. A similar project will begin soon on the Northern Pond apron.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Whilst visiting the airport this morning , I noticed that they have begun installing a higher fenceline along the GA area basically from the gate to the end of the apron works.

As I was leaving they were attaching the top horizontal bars so the mesh will be added soon.

Some photos:

[Nigel C]

Understandable given that Bay 100 is being built so close to the perimeter road and existing fence line.
But at least for you guys they aren't building the same type of fence that's along Airport Drive.

[Peter Agatsiotis]

Bay 100! cheers Nigel. Just wonder what type/gauge mesh they will put on and I assume the existing fence will go?

We're gonna need bigger ladders:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Adam P.]

You're gunna need obstacle lights on your hats if the ladders get too much bigger...

[Nigel C]

It looks like a standard mesh fence, the same as what's currently there only higher. The existing fence is a little long in the tooth, so I assume it will go.

By the time I return to work next month the job will probably be just about finished.

[Jaryd stock]

The new fence is installed no longer can we get on damian's car and take shots of them coming up the taxi way...

[Brenden S]

Put a ladder up on top then....

[Jaryd stock]

I think I might borrow some quick stage scaffold from work..