Thank you for your email regarding the claims made in front of Joint Standing Committee on Northern .

Whilst I cannot comment on the specifics of any anecdotes that may have incorrectly labelled the at as unsafe, I can state that there is no significant length related risk in operating on our runway compared to similar facilities in Australia.

The runway at Christmas Island Airport is classified under the ICAO Aerodrome Reference system as 4C. The number four indicates a runway length of greater than 1800 metres and the letter C means the runway is designed for aircraft with a wingspan of between 24 metres and 36 metres and an outer main gear wheel span of between six metres and nine metres. Examples of code C aircraft that may utilise Christmas Island Airport can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1 Outer Main Gear Wheel Span Aircraft Wingspan (metres) (metres) Boeing 737-800 (738) 34.32 7.00 Boeing 737-900 (739) 34.32 7.00 Airbus A320 (A320) 35.80 8.95 Airbus A321 (A321) 35.80 8.95

Our current runway length (2103 metres) is more than adequate for conducting Boeing 737- 800 and Airbus A320 operations. In fact a number of around Australia that regularly receive Airbus A320 and/or Boeing 737-800 traffic have runways that are shorter and, in some cases, narrower than the runway at Christmas Island. See Table 2 for examples.

Table 2 Airport Length (metres) Width (metres) Christmas Island (IOT) 2103 45 Sunshine Coast (QLD)* 1797 30 Mildura (VIC) 1830 45 Newman (WA) 2072 30 Ballina/ Byron Bay (NSW) 1900 30 Hamilton Island (QLD)* 1764 30 Kalgoorlie (WA) 2000 45 Launceston (TAS) 1981 45 *Code 3C airports that operate B737s and A320s on exemption from CASA.

These tables illustrate that the runway at Christmas Island Airport is more than suitable for the aircraft types operating here.

Christmas Island Airport is certified and inspected by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and technical specialists regularly to ensure its continued compliance to the regulatory requirements. The Government has spent a significant amount of money resealing the runways at both airports to ensure they continue to be maintained to the highest standards.

In the nine years that Toll has been operating the airports management contract there has been no safety concerns on the length of the runway formally raised by the regulator, aircraft operator or other aviation industry participant.

In fact, CASA have recently agreed to a proposal to shorten the runway to ensure the Runway End Safety Area (RESA) is compliant with the relevant standard. This proposal was made in consultation with the airlines and air force with no impact on any aviation operation identified. Additionally, after discussions with pavement specialists, we have issued standing approvals for the contracted airline to operate their Boeing 737 fleet to the Territories airports up to twice per week.

Toll are an ISO accredited supplier that manages both IOT airports on behalf of the Commonwealth and continues to meet and exceed our obligations to ensure the airports continue to operate in compliance with regulated safety and security standards.

Consideration of information herein leads to the conclusion that the anecdotal ‘evidence’, that pilots were too scared to land on at Christmas Island because of safety concerns, is without merit and definitely not based in fact. I am personally disappointed to hear of such testimony as I, along with my team, take great pride in providing a safe and secure airport facility for all users on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Please let me know if you need any further information.

Regards,

Paul McFarlane IAP Airports Manager, Indian Ocean Territories

Christmas Island International Airport Cocos (Keeling) Islands International Airport