Bankstown Airport wants to get daily passenger flights off the ground
BANKSTOWN Airport could have daily passenger flights from the end of the year with CEO Lee de Winton saying flights to Canberra would be “ideal”.
The Express
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REGULAR passenger flights could soon take off from Bankstown Airport, with plans to get “bespoke services” off the ground by the end of the year.
The Bankstown Airport Master Plan drawn up in 2014 included a proposal for 12 passenger movements a day from the Bankstown Airport — six flights arriving, six departing — a total of 4380 aircraft movements per year.
The masterplan sets a vision for the next 20 years, but last week newly appointed CEO Lee de Winton said passenger flights were on the cards by the end of the year.
The flight paths and airline carriers were still to be confirmed.
“Sydney to Canberra would be ideal,” Ms de Winton said. “A smaller aircraft, bespoke service for regional flights — I would love to see that type of service here.
“In the next six months, we will be putting the proposal forward.”
If passenger flights do commence from Bankstown, Ms de Winton said there would be extensive community consultation.
With an existing passenger terminal, Bankstown Airport is in a unique position to offer the niche aircraft operations, and shave off transit time with streamlined passenger processing.
Ms de Winton said getting a flight from Bankstown would be much faster for local residents than having to travel to the much busier airport at Mascot.
The vision is just one part of Ms de Winton’s plan to reinvigorate the airport, which once enjoyed almost 400,000 movements per year.
Ms de Winton was appointed CEO of the airport in April, and was previously an RAAF commander in Afghanistan and more recently head of freight operations at Qantas.
She said the airport’s privatisation in 2003-04, coupled with the financial crisis, saw the activity at the airport plummet by 100,000 movements.
Sydney Metro Airports’ operations at Bankstown and Camden were bought for $203 million in 2015 by First State Super and Altis Property Partners.
Today, 100 different companies operate from the 300ha site which is predominantly used as a flight training facility — something the airport would like to take further advantage of.
“What I would like to see would be more flying schools and Bankstown becoming an aviation training of excellence,” Ms de Winton said.
Last year, the airport inherited a $161 million proposal to develop 41ha of non-aviation land into a business park with 3000 car spaces.
In March, the airport took the previous proposal off the table so the board could investigate how to get optimal use out of the plans and provide community benefit.
Ms de Winton said there are no concrete plans but she favours light industrial business such as an “Amazon-type” warehouse.
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