$300m Sunshine Coast runway plan brings jobs, tourists
Southeast Queensland’s next international runway is making dramatic progress, with the $300 million project to open up a new frontier in tourism and trade.
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THE visionary $300 million international runway project that will land billions in tourism and trade dollars for the Sunshine Coast is powering ahead, and set for lift-off in two years.
The latest aerial pictures taken by The Courier-Mail show the dramatic progress, where 1.3 million cubic metres of sand sourced from the Spitfire Channel in Moreton Bay and brought in by dredge is providing the foundation for the economic “game-changer’’.
The new runway, at Marcoola just north of Maroochydore, will be 2450m long and 45m wide, and is expected to create a world of opportunity for the region from Christmas 2020.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said it would generate more than 2200 new full-time jobs and contribute around $4.1 billion to the region’s economy over 20 years.
“This will provide a significant and enduring benefit for the residents of our region – the 320,000 people that live here now and the additional 200,000 people who are forecast to call the Sunshine Coast home by 2041,’’ he said.
“It will open the region up to a wider global tourism market and provide a significant stimulus for local business and industry, particularly the region’s agribusiness sector which will be able to transport fresh product directly into Asian markets.’’
The existing 1797m long and 30m wide facility requires airlines to operate on non-standard narrow runway procedures, which has constrained growth in flight services, passenger numbers and freight capacity.
The new runway will cater for existing Boeing (B737) and Airbus (A320) aircraft without constraints and be designed to accommodate larger aircraft such as the A330 and B787 Dreamliner and the A350 (900) into the future. This means direct flights are achievable from Asian hubs, as well as Pacific destinations including Hawaii.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Latchford said that while a flight from Sydney was “very exciting’’ in the early 1960s, aircraft arriving from Singapore or Hong Kong could be cause for huge celebration in a few years, delivering waves of “high yield’’ tourists from Europe and Asia.
Mr Latchford said this would be a game-changer for tourism, business, jobs and export.
“It will be a coming of age as people from throughout the world come to explore our natural assets.
“Singapore is a gateway to the world and flights from there could bring people (connecting) from Paris, London and New York … visitors willing to pay a premium for our beautiful beaches, clean air and water, wonderful food and stunning hinterland … it’s the holy grail.’’
Mr Latchford said for the past two years, Visit Sunshine Coast had placed a full-time staff member in Singapore, building awareness of the destination, and the Sunshine Coast Airport had a route development team working on securing airlines.
He said the airlines were confidential at this stage, but feedback had been extremely positive from some well-known brands.
Flights to and from Christchurch in New Zealand could be another strong possibility, offering the opportunity to combine surfing on the Sunshine Coast with skiing in Queenstown in the same day.
“The Sunshine Coast has a great opportunity to position itself to capture high-yield visitors.
“We don’t want to turn into a Bali or a Gold Coast. The community would erupt.
“I’m not criticising the Gold Coast, but we don’t need another one. It’s Australia’s Las Vegas to our south.
“We want to be different, preserve our natural assets and attract those interested in experiencing them.
“On a global scale, what we have is a rare commodity – and one people are willing to pay a premium for.’’
Visit Sunshine Coast has also been spreading the word in Europe as part of Australia’s Nature Coast campaign, which has Tourism and Events Queensland and Fraser Coast and Noosa tourism groups as funding partners.
Delivery of the Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion Project is being supported by loans from the Australian Government and the Queensland Treasury Corporation, which will be repaid from the proceeds that council receives from its commercial partner, Palisade Investment Partners, in 2022.
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