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UPGRADE: An artist's impression of how the Whyalla Airport terminal would look under a proposed plan.
The City of Whyalla is seeking community feedback on its proposed plans for a $9m upgrade to the Whyalla Airport.
The upgrade has been made necessary, in part, to meet the Australian Government measures to further strengthen Australia’s domestic and international aviation security with advanced screening technology.
To meet the necessary standards, Council is proposing a $5m upgrade to the airport building and $587,000 towards required ancillary services. The new security screening equipment and the upgrade of the current runway will cost $3.4 million.
As part of the new Federal Government security requirements, will cost $850,000 while another $2.6m will go towards an upgrade of the current runway.
The current financial model for the proposed upgrade incorporates Federal Government grants of $1.85m, an estimated modest increase in passenger numbers and a proposal for a $24 (presently $7.70) Regular Passenger Transport (RPT) levy.
EXPANSIVE: An artist's impression of the new airport terminal in the prospoed plan.
It is proposed that Council will operate the airport as a standalone operation that meets costs through a competitive RPT charge that will provide enough revenue to run the airport.
Assistance will also be sought from the Federal Government for the operating costs of the new security equipment that is expected to be $841,000 on average per year.
Council CEO Chris Cowley said the mandatory security upgrade from the Federal Government was an ideal opportunity to expand the airport even further and create a facility likely to attract even more people to Whyalla. He said it would make flying in and out of the city safer and more enjoyable for locals, visitors and the increasing number of business people and FIFO workers using the facility.
This modelling on the proposed upgrade is expected to have a positive net impact on Council’s financial performance with key financial targets that will deliver a return to ratepayers on the capital investment outlay.
“An upgrade is necessary to meet the necessary Federal airport standards but with this plan it will be achieved with a positive outcome for Whyalla,” Mr Cowley said.
“Not only would we have an upgraded airport building and runway, it would be a safer and more comfortable facility for all local and visitor passengers.
“With more and more business and tourism opportunities springing up in our city and around the region, this proposal allows for significant growth in traffic for our airport which will further improve the bottom line for this facility and the city.”
Mr Cowley said the Whyalla airport was already on the way up with a 4% increase (to 77,622) in passengers using the airport in the last financial year. The modelling for the proposed airport upgrade is based on a modest 1% increase in passengers.
“Our predictions are that this upgrade will actually been a win for ratepayers with a return on the capital investment,” Mr Cowley said.
“Input from residents is valuable in the assessment of this proposed project for the elected members to ultimately decide how we go forward at the airport.”
The final decision will be made on the proposed investment after the consultation feedback is assessed along with the required prudential report.
Documentation for the proposed Whyalla Airport project is in the public consultation section of the Council website http://www.whyalla.sa.gov.au/publicconsultation with hard copies available from the front counter of Council’s offices on Darling Terrace.
Feedback is invited until noon on Monday, September 16, 2019 and can be sent via email to council@whyalla.sa.gov.au or by mail to: PO Box 126, WHYALLA SA 5600
Enquiries can be made to Robyn Dunstall on 8640 3444.