MINUTES AAA NSW Division Meeting Best Western Hovel Tree Inn, 614 Hovell Street Albury Wednesday 27 – Thursday 28 April 2016
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MINUTES AAA NSW Division Meeting Best Western Hovel Tree Inn, 614 Hovell Street Albury Wednesday 27 – Thursday 28 April 2016 ATTENDEES: Lindsay Mason Dubbo City Regional Airport (NSW Division Chair) Jared Feehely Australian Airports Association Peter Adams ABMG Advisory Jimmy Maitland ADB Safegate Laura McColl ADB Safegate Leigh Robinson Airport Equipment Martin Chlupac Airport Lighting Specialists Ray Oakley Airports Plus Brad Parker Airservices Australia David Costello Albury City Council Brad Ferris Albury City Council Mark Munday Albury City Council Katherine Goold Avdata Australia Sharon Lee Avdata Australia Bron Wiseman Avdata Australia Neil Weatherson Ballina Byron Gateway Airport Joe Hain CASA Geoff Smith Clarence Valley Council Stephen Prowse Countplus National Audits Ross Ioakim Downer Jim Brown Eurobodalla Shire Council Jim Parsons Fulton Hogan Stirling Preston Global Airspace Solutions Pty Ltd Bas Smeulders Global Airspace Solutions Pty Ltd Jonathon Van Ree Global Airspace Solutions Pty Ltd Bob Campbell Griffith Airport Paul Bredereck Jetgo Australia Stephen Maltby L-3 Security & Detection Systems Jason Williams Mount Hotham Transportation Services Stewart Todd Narrabri Shire Council Andrew Pearson Narrandera Shire Council Krishna Shrestha Narrandera Shire Council Tim Zorzi Newcastle Airport Pty Limited Robin Edwards Orange City Council Chris Gryllis Orange City Council Sharon Ross Parkes Shire Council Bridget Conroy REHBEIN Airport Consulting 1 Ben Hargreaves REHBEIN Airport Consulting Glenn Nelson SNP Security Joe Vecchi Star Aviation Julie Stewart Tamworth Regional Council Tim Walker Ubimet Joanne McLoughlin Upper Hunter Shire Council Ross Hibbins Vaisala John Barnden Wagga Wagga City Council 1. Chairman’s Welcome Lindsay Mason, AAA NSW Division Chair, welcomed members to Albury and thanked Albury City Council for hosting the meeting. Councillor Alice Glachan welcomed members to Albury and provided an overview of council activities. 2. Minutes of Previous Meetings Minutes from the previous meeting were adopted with no changes. 3. AAA Update Jared Feehely from the AAA provided the group with an update on the activities of the Secretariat, key points included: • AAA Team o AAA CEO, Caroline Wilkie is on maternity leave from 15 April 2015 to 5 September 2016. o Nick Lane, AAA Business Services Manager will be Acting CEO during this time. o New Staff- Karla McMahon, Marketing and Events Officer; Louise English, Events and Administration Coordinator; and Denise Kingsley, Finance Officer. • New Airport Practice Notes o Airport Practice Note 7 - Airside Safety Guide, released November 2015 o Airport Practice Note 8 - Small Regional Aerodrome Handbook, released November 2015 o Airport Practice Note 9 - Wildlife Hazard Management at Airports, released March 2016 o Airport Practice Note 10 - Considerations for improving Disability Access at Airports, released March 2016 • Major projects for 2016 o Education - project to deliver online education program to industry. o Mentoring program – successfully launched the national industry airport Mentoring Program in 2015 with 18 pairs. Mentoring Program is back in 2016 and will be launched in May 2016 in conjunction with the OPS Swap Forum. o Airport Practice Notes – new industry best practice guides to be developed on: 11. Introduction to Airfield Lighting 12. Introduction to Airfield Pavements o Regional Airport Infrastructure Project – review of need and ability to fund infrastructure development at regional airports. o Small Regional Aerodrome Networking Teleconferences – First round took place in April 2016. o MOS 139 Review - AAA incredibly active in this process. Expect NPRM to be released mid-June 2016 for industry consultation for a period of 3 months. • Policy Focus 2016 o Maintaining focus in key areas for industry, including: Security, Planning, CASA and aerodrome safety, Deregulation, and Regional Infrastructure. 2 o Since March last year the AAA has made over 70 submissions and representations to Government and other stakeholders that have aimed to provide a united and cohesive voice for the airport industry on a number of critical policy issues. o Overview of the industry engagement the AAA undertakes on behalf of industry with representation at over 10 industry forums. • AAA Committees, Working Groups & Networking Groups o Overview of the roles and responsibilities of the revised AAA member group structure. • Events in 2016 o Airport Operations ‘OPS SWAP’ Forum - 25-26 May 2016, Brisbane o Airport Safety Week - 17-21 October 2016, Nationally o AAA National Conference and Exhibition - 21-25 November 2016, Canberra 4. Tales from the Tarmac Members were provided with an opportunity to update the group on recent activites at each of their airports and organisations. Dubbo Airport • 6.5% increase in PAX numbers. Attributed to Jetgo Brisbane and Melbourne services along with an increase in REX services. • RFDs partnership announced for major facility at the airport. • Preparing for potential forced council amalgamations which is holding up projects. Albury Airport • Late last year worked with Airbiz on an Aviation Strategy for the airport. • Have a lot of airside reconstruction projects on at the moment. • The airport held an open day for autistic children and their families at the airport recently with fantastic response from the community and will be running it on a regular basis from now on. • PAX numbers are up 0.5% on last year. Narrandera Airport • Currently have around 12,000 PAX a year. • The airport has pavement strength challenges and are currently looking at what to do to rectify this. • Have received funding through the restart grant program to upgrade the apron. • The airport is using iAuditer for ARO reporting. • Looking at upgrading airfield lighting as it is a direct buried system currently. Griffith Airport • RPT service to Melbourne by Airlines of Tasmania has ceased as they folded in January. • REX are currently doing approximately 68,000 PAX to Sydney. • Recently closed the airport for runway, taxiway and apron works. Newcastle Airport • Building a new roof in the check-in area due to legacy issues with relation to the original building. • The International facilitation section of the terminal is almost complete with the airport still trying to get a carrier to operate an international service from Newcastle. • Airport working to try and secure new routes to Adelaide and Cairns. • PAX numbers are down and the airport is attributing that that to the mining downturn. 3 Wagga Wagga Airport • In early February had a wheels up landing of a Cessna 210. • About to go to tender for a taxiway upgrade project with $4m funding from State Government. • Four new GA hangars are under construction at the airport with a FBO hangar soon to be developed. • The council has recently introduced free Wi-Fi in the terminal. Orange Airport • The council is actively looking for new services to the airport. • PAX numbers have decreased due to mining downturn. • The airport is looking for alternate income streams including a possible industrial precinct. • The 24 hour helicopter base for Toll is currently under construction due to the close proximity to the major regional hospital in Orange. • All of the redevelopments have now been finalised and completed. Tamworth Airport • The airport has had strong growth recently with the introduction of Jetgo and Virgin Australia services. • That growth has put pressure on airport infrastructure and as such the airport is part way through the car park redevelopment. • Challenges faced by the airport with potential council amalgamations. • The airport is trying to introduce paid parking however it has gone to the council three times now without being approved. • QantasLink hangars are being redeveloped so that they can be more efficient and service additional aircraft. • Currently in the design phase of an apron overlay and expansion project with funding from the State Government. • The airport had an incident with the electrical system earlier in the year and have now upgraded the electrical switchboard and installed a back-up generator to ensure that sort of incident cannot happen again. • Aviation rally held at Tamworth Airport by a tenant over the deregulation of General Aviation Industry. • Last month was their best ever month for PAX numbers. • The council has purchased land next to the airport for an industrial development including the use as an intermodal transport and freight hub. • The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is looking at extension to the current hangar due to new contract that they have secured. Parkes Regional Airport • The new terminal development is being finalised and handed over to the council for operations to start out of the new building next Tuesday. • Upgraded power and sewer infrastructure to facilitate the terminal expansion. • The council will offer free Wi-Fi in the new terminal. • Apron and taxiway upgrades will be completed with State Government funding. • PAX numbers for the airport are steady. Scone Airport • Large number of corporate jet movements with 123% growth this year. • Recently changed invoicing system from Avdata to AIMs which has improved income. • The increase in movements has strained the aerodromes due to apron constraints. • Safety report completed in February and the council is working through the actions from this. 4 • The airport faces challenges with developments on and around the aerodrome due to the sale of aerodrome land and incompatible developments being built very