Airport upgrades
IT MIGHTN’T look like much now but it has the potential to turn into one of the biggest developments to happen in Tamworth in the last 20 years, the mayor says.
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Work is now under way on a $2.1 million project to extend the apron at Tamworth Regional Airport to increase its capacity to bring in 737-800 aircraft.
For mayor Col Murray, the works are a green light for growth in the region.
“It’s about having the capacity for the businesses around us to grow and develop with potentially larger planes and better air services,” Cr Murray said.
Significant investment has been poured into the airport recently, with the state government providing $2.1 million for the apron extension and $2 million from the federal government for a new instrument landing system (ILS).
The mayor said the funding makes indirect steps towards making the airport capable of receiving international freight.
“If we can get to the point of international freight, that’ll be a really significant step in the growth of Tamworth,” he said.
“It’ll probably have one of the biggest impacts in development out of anything that’s happened in the last 20 years.
“It’s a very ambitious project to get us international freight, it’ll take us quite a number of years.”
The airport has just come off one of it busiest periods ever, the mayor said, with 18,000 passengers coming through the gates in March.
“We’re looking towards 200,000 passengers for the [financial] year,” he said.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the record figures coming through Tamworth gates reflected a significant amount of growth and interest in the region which would only be creating more demand for slots into Sydney airport.
“If regional NSW is growing, that means we’re going to increase the pressure on Sydney airport and that then has to force them to look at what happens to allow an increase to capacity from regional NSW into Sydney,” Mr Anderson said.
“It’s not just for Tamworth, it’s also for the other large regional centres.”