Hobart Airport will lift 10pm runway curfew over hectic Christmas, New Year period
It has been all systems go on the new $130m international runway at Hobart Airport. Find out why night curfew being paused.
Tasmania
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A 10pm curfew on planes landing at Hobart Airport, while the new $130m international runway is being built, will be lifted during the hectic Christmas-New Year period.
The airport confirmed there have been a number of cancellations in recent weeks due to airlines running behind schedule due to storms in Sydney and fog in Melbourne and being unable to reach Hobart before 10pm.
A delayed Virgin flight this week was forced to turn around mid-flight because it could not make it to Hobart by 10pm after leaving at 9.23pm.
The overnight runway closures, which started on October 7, will pause from December 20 until January 6.
From Mid-December to the early New Year, Hobart Airport is expecting to increase from 60 inbound/outbound flights a day to more than 70 a day – an increase from around 10,000 seats a day to upwards of 12,500 seats a day.
Hobart Airport CEO Norris Carter thanked travellers “for bearing with us” while the new runway was built.
“We’re working closely with Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar and Air New Zealand to make sure they run to schedule and can land on time with minimal disruptions,” he said.
“Like all good things, building the new runway will take time, but we’re confident any short-term pain will lead to huge long-term gains for all Tasmanians.
“Importantly, the overnight runway closures will be paused for the Christmas and New Year’s season to help ensure travellers have the best start to their summer holiday.
“We’re expecting a bumper travel season this year, with an extra 2500 extra travellers arriving and departing from Hobart Airport every day over the peak season.
“This is great news for tourism and hospitality, and Tasmanian jetsetters too.”
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania CEO Amy Hills said tourist operators were gearing up for one of the busiest times of the year and this summer “promises to be a big one” with the Taste of Summer already reporting really positive ticket sales and the return of the Wooden Boat Festival.
“While as a destination we continue to promote Tassie as a great place to visit in the colder months, the importance of summer cannot be underestimated,” she said.
“Obviously it’s also one of the busiest times for our airports so it’s welcome news to hear that Hobart Airport is planning ahead to ensure it can run as smoothly as possible, especially at the same time as major redevelopment is occurring on site.
“The runway upgrade is a huge investment that is going to help future proof our visitor economy and we’re excited to hear that it’s still on track to be completed by the middle of next year.”
The runway is currently closed from 10pm to 6am from Sunday to Thursday.
Each night a 50-80m section of the runway is milled, new asphalt is laid, and new lines are painted on the runway ready for the first flight to depart the following morning at 6am.
Up to 60 workers gather at 8:30pm ready to fire up 30 machines at 10pm.
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Originally published as Hobart Airport will lift 10pm runway curfew over hectic Christmas, New Year period
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