Canberra Airport is looking to extend its international links across the Pacific and into Asia over the next 20 years. Photo: Canberra Airport.
Canberra Airport is expecting to clinch direct connections to China, New Zealand and Vanuatu within the next eight years and double daily flight movements by 2040, according to its new Master Plan.
The Federal Government has announced that the Airport’s 2020 Master Plan has been approved, and the airport expects to release it to the public on 5 March after some minor changes.
The Airport says by 2040 Canberrans will be able to fly direct to iconic overseas holiday destinations with its international reach extending across the Pacific to Fiji, Hawaii, and Los Angeles; and to the Asian centres of Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong, while adding Dubai to its Middle Eastern link.
The Master Plan, a 20-year strategic vision that will ensure appropriate development and cater for growth forecasts, says the Airport expects to see more than nine million passengers by 2040, including one million international travellers.
At present, the Airport says it serves nearly a million people in the greater Canberra region.
The 170 domestic and international aircraft movements a day are expected to double over the next 20 years, with Canberra increasingly serving as a freight hub, particularly with Canberra Airport being the only Boeing 747-capable airport without a curfew between Brisbane and Melbourne.
The airport currently serves more than three million passengers per year, forecast to rise to more than nine million by 2040 if all goes to plan. Image: Canberra Airport.
The Canberra Airport is already one of the ACT’s biggest employment centres, with 14,000 people currently working in the precinct, and it is forecast to increase to 36,000 by 2040.
Head of Aviation Michael Thomson said that within the next five to eight years Canberra Airport would be working to bring in more international and low-cost carriers, resulting in more passengers than ever before.
“The airport currently serves more than three million passengers per year, but those numbers are forecast to rise to more than nine million by 2040 if all goes to plan. Canberra Airport’s ethos is to invest early to provide room for growth,” Mr Thomson said.
Earlier this month Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he had been meeting Air New Zealand officials to continue the push to reinstate direct flights across the Tasman, as well as discussing low-cost carriers with the Airport and teeing up talks with Singapore Airlines.
Last year he met with China Southern Airlines and representatives from Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou and Beijing Capital International Airport, as well as China’s Civil Aviation Administration, to pursue direct flights between China and Canberra.
China is the ACT’s largest international tourist market and about 5000 Chinese students study in Canberra.
Announcing the Master Plan’s approval, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Plan paved the way for better infrastructure and expanded capacity at the Airport.
“The airport and these developments are expected to indirectly support more than 37,000 jobs and generate $6.8 billion in economic activity by 2028,” Mr McCormack said.
Senator for the ACT Zed Seselja said the Master Plan set out a number of proposed developments over the planning period, including a freight hub and the continued growth of the airport’s business parks.
“This Plan is good for Canberrans who want to travel, and for the Canberra economy, opening more opportunity to bring tourists to our great city,” he said.
Approval of the 2020 Master Plan follows a comprehensive statutory referral and consultation and the Airport will now not have to submit a new Master Plan for eight years after having previously been on a five-year cycle.
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Makes it easier for Pollies to head off OS for their holidays.. Hawaii here they come
No flights to New York ?
firts improve the stoopid pick-up parking...10 mins....out in the cold...jeez
As I was alluding to on previous post: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/virgin-reduces-fleet-forecasts-virus-hit-222619797–spt.html
And more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-26/virgin-announces-tigerair-to-axe-five-domestic-routes/12002236
I’m confused. Surely such a development and it’s axiomatic implications for the climate would see mass and sustained protest by climate changers?
Or could it be that climate changers, having signalled their virtue and cleansed their inner conscience by protesting for the cameras, are just as happy to indulge in a first world lifestyle as climate sceptics?
Climate hypocrites fits better.
Free flights between London and Canberra 😭 Rae Coomber-Williams
Of course, all this depends on whether the global airlines are still around after the coronavirus is brought under control.
Canberrans really do live in a bubble given that it has already been widely reported that thousands of Chinese university students can’t travel here to resume their studies and the pandemic is now well and truly global. Not one mention of it in this article yet our chief minister was in China only weeks ago.
Qantas has already cancelled services to China and if one wants proof of how the airlines are being affected read up on what is happening on the share market.
If this pandemic wasn’t so serious, it would be amusing to see some of the posts about people hoping for “direct flights to Hawaii”.
Scottie from Admin will make sure there is a direct flight to Hawaii.
Michael Wilson but still no direct flight to Hobart!
Bunma B Petchy 2040. We can fly direct to Bkk. Woohoo
Mickey Be PERFECTO
Pity flying out of Canberra is so expensive, when our daughter lived in Melbourne it was a lot cheaper to fly home to Williamtown than Canberra, and i I know people in canberra that get the bus to Sydney and fly from there rather than Canberra 🙁
That will be handy for the MP for Manilla
Renee Redders nice plane 😉
Wendy Ruediger A very nice one! 👍😊
Alex Evans Roberts how good is this and Vanuatu too
Good news for taxi 😄industry
Lots of free trips to China I hear !!!
Far too expensive.
Much better value flying from sydney
Juan Pablo no difference in price.
Jonathan Hickman its still $800 difference for a family going from canberra.
I'd prefer the $800.
And I'm certain you don't pay for flights
"Much better value flying from Sydney"... yes because that's such an enjoyable proposition for anyone connecting from a domestic flight to an international one! You literally have to catch a bus from one terminal to another. I'll happily pay a little extra for a direct flight from Canberra to wherever... and avoid the transiting nightmare in Sydney.
Why the delay? Please bring it forward.
Thailand
How does this fit with ACT goal of zero net emissions?
Caroline Le Couteur By reducing the emissions from connecting flights to other Australian hubs, for a start? Are you expecting the airport to not use planes?
Caroline Le Couteur you expecting us to not use planes any longer and go back to the dark ages? This is the 21st century where we use planes for overseas travel. We don’t swim or use high speed yachts 🤦🏼♂️
Labour at all levels are saying o% so yes that dose mean no aviation at all
Not correct. Labor are saying Zero net emissions. This means that emissions are possible, but only if offset by some form of carbon capture.