7 December 2007

The Airport upgrading to do what an Airport is actually supposed to do

| Jonathon Reynolds
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For once there is some positive news of upgrades at Canberra (International) Airport, that I actually don’t have any philosophical objection to, that is an upgrade more akin to the core business that airports really should be really be engaging in – i.e. moving passengers.

ABC Online is reporting here that the CIA is proposing major upgrades to the terminal building and surrounding infrastructure.

However with a little digging on the CIA website we can find the actual press release.

The key features of the new upgrade are:

* a doubling of check-in counters from 16 to 32;
* the installation of two new aerobridges, taking the total to six;
* a trebling of the baggage belt capacity;
* an additional 1300 car parking spaces taking the total number of spaces to 2500; and
* a quadrupling of Club lounge capacity to more than 6000m2.

I haven’t been able to locate any detailed plans of the proposed upgrades, but I guess it is safe to assume that it will look pretty much like any other airport terminal from the inside.

UPDATE: Skidbladnir has also sent in their thoughts:

ABC Online is reporting that the Canberra International Airport (aka Snowtown) is looking to spend $250 million on an upgrade to finally live up to its name.

I have no other contrary articles, but apparently a new Internation Airport will produce 75% less greenhouse gases than it does currently as a domestic airport. Either its woefully inefficient now, or he’s juggling statistics, or both.

He does also pass comment that taxis and accomodation are going to become rarer, so expect further price rises as demand outstrips supply.

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Gungahlin Al12:08 pm 12 Dec 07

Stop at the airport along the way to a termination at/near the CBD caf.

I don’t think the train needs to go to the airport – if you’re flying you’d fly to Sydney.

As much as I dislike the way the airport development does an end-run around town planning norms, I have to say it does make sense for a high speed train to terminate at the airport. It allows for aircraft-to-train transfers, and after all, the train will be competing with aircraft on the Sydney-Canberra route.

As long as they don’t try to enforce aircraft-style checkin procedures on the train, though…

Snow and Co do have plans for the train to terminate at the airport. Bullshit if you ask me, if you are gonna have a fast train it has to go to town somehow.

Fast train as an ideal is a great idea for the WHOLE of Canberra, and one that would benefit a major number of Canberra’s populance,not just half a dozen over eager profit seekers.

Don’t you think Snow & Co would have various plans afoot to divert the trains termination point to their airpark?

What a crock – surely drop off would be a higher security risk than pick up anyway.

If I was the ACT govt I would be getting started on the fast train ASAP purely to take business from the airport.

That is not quite right, you can drop off for free but cannot pick-up. Apparently it is a great security risk. Yeah right, money making is what it is no doubt. It is a wonder they don’t charge to drop off too. The big problem though is how they can manipulate the market contray to government planning policy. For other cities it maybe isn’t such a bad thing, but in Canberra it can change the balance so much easier.

The cat did it12:03 am 10 Dec 07

One of the Howard Government’s toxic legacies is the turning-over of public airport facilities to private monopolies, and exempting them from local planning approvals. Even the dimmest Economics 101 student can tell you that such an action is a recipe for overcharging, exploitation and inefficient allocation of resources. This private monopoly is not in the public interest. other airports have a kerbside drop-off/pick-up zone, but in Canberra you have to park first- and pay to do so. Mr Snow has been remarkably reluctant to modify the traffic flows around the terminal to allow this. wonder why?

Interesting article in the Canberra crimes about the Defence land they want to build a road to Fairbairn. The ACT government is asking why Defence has not offered the land to them first or gone to public tender. The sooner Snow is held to account the better.

Here is a good bit, I know the local government is not popular with those who read this board, but at least they are tring to stop this bugger.

Building exemptions should be for terminals, hangers and runways, not for shopping centres (except as part of a terminal) and office buildings for non aviation companies.

“A Transport Department spokesman said the new land would also be exempt from normal planning arrangements if sold to the airport.
Mr Barr said planning ministers from every state and territory would press the Rudd Government to review planning exemptions for major airports.
Canberra Airport had an advantage over competitors, who had to account for a development’s potential impact on local infrastructure and relationship to planning policy.
“The ACT Government does not support non-aviation development at the airport being exempted from planning controls. We do not support the airport ignoring the Government’s spatial planning for metropolitan Canberra.” “

Snow’s PR machine has been superb, right from the get-go. Now, finally, everyone is waking up to what’s really going on. He’s got acres and acres of prime real estate, 7kms from Civic, and NO planning requirements or barriers that normal developers must satisfy before they can make money. Those requirements exist to protect the people from developers who only want to make money. We have no protection from what is happening at the airport (which so far has played a poor cousin to the property development angle).

And, to make it worse, when Snow and co come up against something the government DOES control, ie the road, the bloody government lets the airport run the project! Fox in charge of the henyard scenario.

I think it is just an expanded terminal. And the only details were about money QANTAS is spending.
Snow is just good at getting PR.

And what better time to anounce some ‘god news’ than when they are trying to buy the land next door to the airport so that they can build all over that too with no planning restrictions at all.

The lack of local planning restrictions for airports was supposed to allow airports to get better infrastructure to perform as airports. Snow has used to it build so many buildings all over the airport land that there is no more room for his airport to expand and be a bigger and better airport.

Shauno, I don’t think many object to Snow building airport related infrastructure. Most of the people who dislike him do so because he can build what EVER he likes WITHOUT any planning approval. That is not right and I would love to see a good argument as to why it is right. The playing field is not level. Then the prick has the hide to complain when companies (outbid) him and try and build competing developments within the planing rules of the ACT (Epicentre for example).

Simple fact is Snow uses a loop hole in airport legislation which is there to enable airport development to go ahead without local approval, yet he uses it to build retail outlets and office space.

Now one question is this a new terminal, or expansion and refurbishment of the current terminal? I read that Qantas is putting in $10m on a new airbridge and a business class lounge. The impression I got was this was a stop gap until a new terminal was built, but reading everything it seems like the ‘new’ terminal is just an expanded terminal.

Snow gets rich, and we all get to support him. I can’t see any flow-on effects either, good ones at least. He’s subverted the town planning process. You won’t see gov’t departments or large businesses locating nearer to Gunghalin and Tuggerangong, when he’s throwing up buildings at breakneck speed and undercutting the town planners.

He’s practically blackmailed the gov’t to use our taxes to build the roads that he needs for his development. Those roads were perfectly adequate until the first high rise buildings came on line.

Just because someone likes to use an airport and would like it to be nice, doesn’t mean that thousands of people have to put up with noise, traffic jams and a rich guy creaming off their taxes.

Look a bit of tall poppy syndrome is in effect here. I wish Snow all best and hope he makes shitloads.
As some one that travels the world and uses the airport regularly I am all for the development. By all means scale back and bring Canberra back to how it was in the 60’s wont that be great.

I don’t see that development is always good. As far as i can see the owner is making money, and no extra money is going into the local economy. The local economy is losing money due to having to fix roads that don’t fit into their long term planning processes.

I don’t mind getting a fair bit of aircraft noise during cloudy weather. But at the moment it just depresses me cos I imagine this will be what it is like ever day and all night once the airport becomes this freight hub they are working towards.

And again – I don’t see any benefits for Canberra in that either. A few truckies will get extra work, beyond that all the benefits are for Sydney.

I really have a hard time working out why people are so upset about this airport development. Ok sure we have a problem with the roads but in time that will be fixed. Its just really good that some one has gone in there and started development.
Its probably one of the biggest assets Canberra has got and can only help make the economy grow. I’m all for it and Id like to see another 4 or 5 star hotel there as well.

The airport doesn’t have control over flight paths, so it can’t decide to spread them around or not. I saw a lot of activity too and suspect we saw planes avoiding thunderstorms, combined with more activity than normal due to the old pollies clearing out and new ones coming in early to grab the office with the window.

Yeah Sepi, I noticed at the end of the week especially, lines of flights coming overhead quite low when we don’t usually get them at that time (quite dark). Generally, we get the planes from Sydney/north between 4 and 5. But there were loads of them at weird times.

I suspect the airport is being very very careful to avoid spooking the horses by having lots of suburbs affected by flights right now.
Snow and Co need for canberrans to sink into a “I’m all right Jack so screw you” torpor until it’s too late. Not a big task for them.

The airport is giving me the sh*ts this week. Tiny bloody planes directly overhead the house all weekend, and massive noisy planes flying over every time it rains or storms. During the massive storm the other day the planes were so low I couldn’t tell the planes from the thunder. I might start campaigning for noise sharing now, and some other suburbs can see what it’s like.

swissbignose10:22 am 08 Dec 07

The one you’re referring to is in the non-Qantas terminal. I suspect Primal is talking about in the Qantas terminal…

Uuum, there IS a (pricey, but hey, they’re an airport, what do you expect) food stand on the top floor inside the terminal. Admittedly, it appears to be staffed by one very cranky woman who keeps irregular hours, but who cares.

Although the rest of this thread is making me wonder, what is my mum REALLY doing when she buys weird lawn ornaments at Rodneys? Is she secretly part of the Illuminati?

Never mind doubling the baggage aerobridges, when the hell am I going to be able to get something to eat or drink inside security at the Qantas terminal? (and no, ‘when I join the Qantas Club’ is not the correct answer).

The ABC news video is amusing. Behind Stephen Bryon head in the footage is the word ‘BART’. 🙂

I just had a look at the ‘artists impression’ of what the new airport would look like (in the CT). Quite spiffy really.

Absent Diane1:14 pm 07 Dec 07

Canberra Intergalactic Spaceport

UFOs would explain the “International” bit in Canberra International Airport – otherwise it’s a joke to call the airport international.

Canberra Intergalactic Airport ?

Albany St, rather.
(Hi guys)

They’re in the same building as the spooks of AG’s at Kembla St in Fyshwick.

Gungahlin Al12:36 pm 07 Dec 07

I thought the CIA was in the basement of the Deakin telephone exchange?

I hear its only international because the PM’s whim can take his planes anywhere, although it would be nice to go direct to bali from here (hint hint major airlines wanting to service the CC crowd).

Snow and Bryon should be congratulated. It’s about time our airport and surrounds stopped looking like hicksville!

But I don’t know how Jim Murphy is surviving near Brand Depot as I never see any cars in the carpark. It appears to be a bad business option. Personally, I dislike his grog-shop and I hope another grog business opens up at the new brand precinct in East Queanbeyan (Fyshwick).

UFOs would explain the “International” bit in Canberra International Airport – otherwise it’s a joke to call the airport international.

It would be nice to be able to fly across the Tasman to that third world hole NZ direct, rather than have to go through Stdney.

The sequence of roundabouts is a land-signal to airborne UFO…

There’s a roundabout outside the airport; am I the only person who thinks that represents something sinister ala Freemasons????

Jonathon Reynolds9:55 am 07 Dec 07

Maybe… but the fundamental difference is that one CIA is in Pialligo in the Australian Capital and the other CIA is in Langley in Virginia.

Yeah, about time they spent some money on upgrading the actual terminal, instead of concentrationg on building Snow City!

You just like writing CIA don’t you?

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