Cairns perfect as electrical aircraft hub, say experts

An industry leader has called on Dunk Island’s new owners to ditch its airport runway and install a vertiport with the futuristic thinking also mooted as a possible solution to a longstanding road headache. What do you think?

CAIRNS is perfectly poised to become a futuristic electric aircraft hub with an industry leader calling on Dunk Island’s new owner to build a vertiport on the island to transport passengers.

Skyportz chief executive and founder Clem Newtown-Brown said the airport runway could be closed down and revegetated in favour of a facility that allowed for aircrafts to land and take off vertically.

Annie Cannon-Brookes, the wife of Atlassian chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes, snapped up the island off Mission Beach in Far North Queensland for $23.6m in July, and there are reports a major reboot of the island will include abandoning the airstrip in favour of ferrying guests in by helicopter and boat.

The world's first commercial-powered lift aircraft is the Swiss-designed and built AW609, which has hybrid-electrical power, competes with small business jets, and lands vertically, according to V-Star Powered Lift Aviation.

“There are great opportunities in Far North Queensland to achieve world’s best practice environmental benefits by rethinking the way that tourists access the islands,” Mr Newton-Brown said.

“With an international reputation for pristine reef and rainforest environments, we can close down and revegetate many of the smaller island runways which have been a scar on these fragile ecosystems.

“In a few years’ time there will be no need to use noisy, polluting helicopters to access the islands and if the state government moves quickly, it could see significant investment flow into the Far North,” Mr Newton-Brown said.

The TriFan 600 is sleek and fast, has a spacious cabin with a low noise footprint and a sustainable power system, according to V-Star Powered Lift Aviation.

“Mike Cannon-Brookes is trying to decarbonise our energy resources and we need private enterprise to get on board with decarbonising short-haul aviation too – the development of Dunk and other islands should be embracing the opportunities of electric aviation.”

Speaking at an Advance Cairns business breakfast this week, Mr Newton-Brown said in the next couple of years there would be heavy lifting drones with a 100kg to 225kg payload and 500km range, ideal for servicing remote areas.

The industry has federal government support with its Emerging Air Technologies Pilot Statement and $18m invested but wants regional backing.

Search and rescue and charter operations are suited to the robust and cost-effective Aero3, Tilt-Wing aircraft, according to V-Star Powered Lift Aviation.

“We need a region to go first or Australia could be left behind,” Mr Newton-Brown said.

He said electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) could land anywhere a helicopter could.

Newly-appointed Advance Cairns chief executive Jacinta Reddan said eVTOLS could be the solution to transport from the Tablelands to Cairns, given the inadequacies of the Kuranda Range Rd.

Advance Cairns CEO Jacinta Reddan said eVTOLS could be the solution to transport from the Tablelands to Cairns given the inadequacies of the Kuranda Range Rd.

“The challenges around the Kuranda Range Rd require an incredibly complex engineering solution that could take decades – imagine if this aircraft was available to actually take people and freight from Cairns up to the Tablelands,” she said.

“It would eliminate the need for a multimillion dollar (road) investment – there’s just so many interesting applications for this region.”

Mr Newton-Brown said within five to 10 years, short-haul aviation in Australia would be done with electric aircraft.

He said while people wouldn’t pay a premium price to commute to work, they would jump at the chance to fly on electric aircraft to tropical islands.

“I think the early cases are going to be tourism because that’s the market that’s willing to pay a higher price, and it could help reboot some of the islands,” he said.

“This could be a world-class, electric aviation connected region, and that would attract global attention and massive amounts of money coming into the state – all the industry’s looking for is community and political support, and we can get the investment,” Mr Newton-Brown said.

Ms Cannon-Brookes was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Cairns perfect as electrical aircraft hub, say experts