News from West Radar

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2008

May:  West Radar airspace uncontrolled due staff shortages.

West Radar airspace was uncontrolled for over four hours over Saturday night (31st) due to staff shortages.  Traffic Information Broadcast Procedures were instigated, effectively leaving pilots responsible for their own separation.

Airspace affected:

 HTTP://WWW.AIRSERVICESAUSTRALIA.COM/NOTAMMAPS/ML/WESTRADARJAR.PDF

http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/NOTAMMAPS/ML/WESTRADARLCI.PDF

http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/NOTAMMAPS/ML/WESTRADARKNGKNGA.PDF

Garuda Incident

An alarming incident at Perth Airport involving a Garuda Indonesia
737, more than 100 predominantly Australian passengers and a
construction crew working on a closed section of a runway last Friday
has come to light.

The flight from Denpasar was about to land when the pilots queried
why they could see vehicles and machinery at the end of the runway
and began a go-around.

Perth tower is understood to have been doubly surprised.
Not only had Garuda and all other airlines using the airport been
issued with a special notification of the work, which instructed them
to use a displaced threshold, meaning land further down the runway
than normal, but a copy of these instructions had been transmitted to
the flight as it approached Perth.

Make that a triple surprise. The Garuda flight then lined for another
landing on the runway and appeared at imminent risk of touching down
right on top of the work site.

The tower ordered the Indonesians to abort the landing approach and
go around again, but they kept coming, levelling off at the last
moment to skim over the obstacles and then land safely on the
remainder of the runway.

A major investigation has been launched by the Australian Transport
Safety Bureau.

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2008/AAIR/aair200802821.aspx

(from Crikey.com)

Qantas expands in Perth

National carrier Qantas Airways will establish a pilot base in Perth in December, adding to its bases in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said around 80 pilots would be based in Perth for intra-Western Australia and transcontinental flying, to support the airline's recently announced capacity increases.

"The State's mining and resource sector is booming and the east-west business and tourism traffic continues to grow," Mr Dixon said.

Basing pilots in Perth would ensure the best possible support for the airline's extensive and growing Western Australia schedule.  The pilot base will share Qantas facilities at Perth Airport, where the airline's 340 cabin crew are also based.

Perth Airport Upgrade

Perth Airport officials announced yesterday that they were embarking on phased redevelopment of the airport, taking up to seven years, which will see domestic and international operations consolidated at the site of the existing international terminal.

The company announced yesterday it would kick off the expansion with a $112.5 million first phase, which will include building a $55 million terminal dedicated to services in regional Western Australia.  The single level terminal will have undercover facilities that allow passengers to walk out to smaller planes servicing the resources industry.

Regional traffic now makes up more than 40 per cent of the airport's movements after volume shot up by 42 per cent in 2004-05 and a further 48 per cent last financial year.  The first phase will include a $40 million apron that will accommodate about 30 aircraft overnight.

The new Terminal WA will be delivered within two years and is expected to take pressure off the the airport's overstretched domestic terminal.

Perth has been hit by unprecedented growth in traffic, which has seen passenger movements rise by 85 per cent in the past five years to already exceed 2016 forecasts. It expects this growth to continue and predicts international traffic, also causing problems during peak periods, to exceed 12 per cent in 2007-08.

The strong growth and a lack of investment in new infrastructure has left Perth with what many West Australians see as the worst airport in Australia.

The second and third phases will see the existing international terminal incorporated into a much bigger combined facility with as many as 40 bridged gates, up from 11 now. The plans include a multi-storey car park and a hotel, with discussions under way with the WA Government about a possible rail link and improved road connections.

The project is also likely to see the current international terminal switched to domestic operations in favour of building a completely new facility.

Flying Doctor Struggles with the Boom

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is pleading with the State Government for another four planes and more doctors and nurses in the upcoming Budget to help cope with increasing demand.
  
Booming WA regional centres have left the RFDS struggling to cope so it has asked for a big boost in resources, including a fleet increase from 11 to 15 aircraft over five years.
  
Chief executive Tim Shackleton said planning for new aircraft must start immediately and extra pilots, nurses and doctors would also be needed. “We have asked for a significant increase in resources, but you have to remember that we’ve been operating with the same number of aircraft and only slightly more staff than we had a decade ago and, since then, demand and costs have gone up enormously,” he said.
 
Aircraft and staff shortages were highlighted last September when the RFDS was unable to respond to a call from a man on a remote Goldfields station who later died from a suspected brain aneurysm.
  
Service medical director Stephen Langford said workloads had increased 35 per cent in the Pilbara and 25 per cent in the South-West and Great Southern regions in the past five years. “In the same period, transfers from Karratha have increased by 37 per cent, Port Hedland and Newman are both up by 27 per cent and Bunbury transfers are up by 32 per cent,” Dr Langford said.
  
Seventy-five per cent of patients were flown to Perth for treatment and this often resulted in long flights for seriously ill patients and RFDS staff.
  
“The long flights can also then put the aircraft crew and the medical team out of action while they sleep over in Perth because they may have ‘over flown’ the number of hours they are permitted to work,” he said.
  
“This can then mean that their RFDS base in Derby has no aircraft or team available for a 24-hour period, which can be a worry.”
  
The service has a budget of almost $39 million, with $13.5 million coming from the Federal Government and $19 million from the State Government. Other funding comes from patients’ insurance and fundraising.
  
Nationals leader Brendon Grylls said because so much of the service’s workload was patient transfers, planes were tied up in the air, reducing the ability to respond to emergencies.
  
“What the Government has failed to realise is that the nature of healthcare has changed and many more services that used to be available in the country are now only available in the metropolitan area and that’s led to a huge amount of the RFDS workload being patient transfers,” he said.
  

April

• The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s first Pilatus PC-21 aircraft trainer completed its successful flight test in Stans, Switzerland on 21 Jan 2008. The acquisition of the Pilatus PC-21, a highly advanced tandem-seat turboprop aircraft trainer, is part of the RSAF's transformation to enhance the basic training and proficiency of its pilot trainees.  The first batch of 6 PC-21 aircraft trainers will be delivered to the RSAF Flying Training School (FTS) at RAAF Pearce airbase in April 2008, and will be used for flight training from June 2008. The Pilatus PC-21 aircraft replaces the RSAF's Aermacchi S-211 aircraft trainer, which the RSAF has used for the last 24 years.
  

• Tiger Airways announced the expansion of their services yesterday, in preparation for peak northern summer season, adding capacity to two of its most popular routes, Singapore-Perth and Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City.  Weekly flights from Perth to Singapore will change from a daily flight to 11 a week. In a parallel strategy, Tiger will aim to provide two flights daily between 18 June and 10 August 2008.
  

• The Premier Alan Carpenter has described Perth's Domestic Airport as an embarrassment to the state and called on its owners to embark on an immediate upgrade.  Mr Carpenter has told Parliament he had first hand experience of the airport's shortcomings when he returned from last week's COAG meeting in Adelaide.  He said the snaking queues of people waiting to check in and retrieve their luggage was something that needed to be addressed.  Mr Carpenter has urged the airport's owner, Westralia Airports Corporation, to commence its upgrades immediately.
  

March:

February:  Pearce News

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s first Pilatus PC-21 aircraft trainer completed its successful flight test in Stans, Switzerland on 21 Jan 2008. The acquisition of the Pilatus PC-21, a highly advanced tandem-seat turboprop aircraft trainer, is part of the RSAF's transformation to enhance the basic training and proficiency of its pilot trainees.

The first batch of 6 PC-21 aircraft trainers will be delivered to the RSAF Flying Training School (FTS) at RAAF Pearce airbase, Australia, in April 2008, and will be used for flight training from June 2008. The Pilatus PC-21 aircraft replaces the RSAF's Aermacchi S-211 aircraft trainer, which the RSAF has used for the last 24 years.

Perth and Jandakot News

Strong growth in the resources sector continues to have a large effect on WA's economy including growth within the aviation industry. Currently 47% of the mining industry in WA is employed on a fly-in, fly-out basis. 

In 2006-07, the regional and resources-based aviation sector represented a third of all traffic through Perth Airport (8m+ passengers), with a 70% increase in charter aircraft movements during 2005-06. The WA resource sector is now estimated to involve a fleet of 28 jets, with over 70 jet and turboprop flights leaving from Perth Airport every Monday morning; 50 destined for the state's north-west. Regional airports will require additional airport management services to meet increased traffic demands.

Eleven players are presently competing for WA's mining-related business: Skywest, National Jet, Alliance, OzJet, Network Aviation, Airnorth and Skippers Aviation, while Qantas and Virgin Blue are increasing scheduled passenger services to mining centres.
Growth in the WA's resource industry is expected to continue but tempered by the shortage of skilled labour. Continued demand for air transportation of mining workers is likely along with further route expansion (including flights from the east coast direct to mining centres). Future challenges for WA's aviation sector include overcoming the problems of Perth Airport's congestion and the availability of new aircraft and crew

Perth Airport:  Westralia Airports Corporation is expected to make a decision early 2008 about consolidating domestic and international terminals. Passenger numbers have already reached traffic levels predicted for 2020 (Master Plan) and the airport plans to spend over $275m to upgrade facilities and commercial development.

Jandakot Airport:  The airport has prepared an exposure draft Major Development Plan for the construction of a fourth runway and two new access roads. Airservices is providing comment on the runway proposal and on revised options for airport relocation.

The State of Perth Airport

There has been strong growth in passenger numbers at Perth Airport over the past six months.  The airport's Chief Executive Brad Geatches says there has been a 16 per cent increase in passengers.  He says airlines have responded by providing more capacity on domestic and international routes through Perth.  

"The growth that we've experienced at Perth Airport has been very much related to the demand for Western Australian commodities," he said.
"We've seen an explosion in the amount of fly-in-fly-out regional aviation in Western Australia. That activity has doubled in the last two years at Perth airport.
"As quickly as we build car parks, they are being filled. It is improving each day.
"We brought a new large car park into operation prior to Christmas and we'll be bringing more car parking into play in the lead-up to Easter, so that is very much an improving situation."

And...

AUSTRALIAN airports have entered 2008 on a roll, with passenger figures growing strongly and records falling like ninepins.

Nowhere has the growth been stronger than in the resource-boom states of Queensland and Western Australia.

Perth Airport, already bursting at the seams, reported stunning first-half growth of 13.3 per cent over the same period in 2006-07.

Passengers passing through the airport amounted to 4.58 million in the first half of the financial year, almost 540,000 more than last year.

International passenger traffic grew 16.7 per cent for the period, and domestic passenger growth topped 12 per cent.

Perth Airport chief executive Brad Geatches said the strong growth reflected the continuing powerhouse performance of the West Australian economy.

"The increased wealth provided through Western Australia's sustained economic growth is driving business and consumer demand for aviation services," he said.

"Airlines have responded by providing more capacity on domestic and international routes, with Qantas, Emirates and Tiger Airlines each adding to the international capacity on Perth routes.

"Perth Airport also serves as a vital infrastructure asset for WA's resources sector."

The Perth Airport boss is not expecting the growth to stop.

With the strong WA economy, led by its exposure to resources demand from China and north Asia, Perth Airport's growth is expected to outstrip that of its Australian rivals for the foreseeable future.

This is likely to prompt a quick decision on much-needed improvements to the airport.

The business case for a major expansion was strong, Mr Geatches said.

January:  a message from my union President:

Air traffic out of control
MONDAY, 21 JANUARY 2008

Ben Sandilands writes:
Qantas refused to let its aircraft use Perth Airport for three hours on Friday night because AirServices Australia couldn't muster enough staff to provide air traffic control in the area.

It has been a well-kept secret in recent months that AirServices Australia is so bad at maintaining staffing levels that it has at times left the pilots of passenger jets to organise their own safe separation from other jets.

Clearly something snapped in Qantas over this festering problem. With the support of management Qantas chief pilot Chris Manning pulled the plug on its transcontinental services for the duration. Captain Manning told Perth media: "Qantas had deemed it unsafe to operate in this area due the downgrading of controlled air space which would impact critical ascent and descent profiles."

Four transcontinental Qantas services were delayed by its mini boycott and there were knock-on effects for hundreds of other passengers.

Expect more claims and counter claims to follow. AirServices claimed three or four controllers called in sick. Surely it knew if it was three or four. The controllers claim AirServices is lying and that the roster was so tight it collapsed when only one of their number couldn't report for duty.

According to emails circulating among members of the Civil Air union, the Melbourne ATC centre (which shares large-scale coverage of controlled airspace with the Brisbane centre) was 39 staff short on Saturday, forcing the airlines to allow four minutes' space between their jets and any others instead of the normal two minutes.

The effects in busy areas like Sydney-Melbourne are highly undesirable. And laughable, given that Australia has one of the finest air traffic control systems in terms of infrastructure, and a third world indifference to properly manning it.

A spokesman for AirServices, Bryan Nicholson, says pilots entering and leaving the unmanned Perth air space would self-monitor.

Qantas said not on its jets. Virgin Blue kept flying. Self-monitoring air space is a big ask if unexpected issues like fog arise on approach, or pilots have to contend with the unexpected, like cabin pressure or systems problems, when their workload is very high and extremely critical to safety.

ATC staff shortage begins to bite.

Qantaslink increases flights

QantasLink, the regional arm of Qantas Airways, will increase capacity on its key Western Australian routes from February 18.  Under an agreement with Alliance Airlines, QantasLink will add one additional weekday service between Perth and Port Hedland and Perth and Karratha.  Qantas group general manager regional airlines Narendra Kumar said demand for intra-state air services remains strong in Western Australia.

Qantas currently operates 19 return services per week between Perth and Port Hedland and 35 return services per week between Perth and Karratha.

2007

December:  Skywest continues to expand.

THE rise of Perth-based Skywest Airlines has continued with the delivery of two more 100-seat Fokker 100 jets and a move for regulatory approval to fly a 180-seat A320.

The two Fokker 100s take the airline's fleet to five jets - with one more (Fokker 100) for delivery in March - plus seven 46-seat Fokker 50 turboprops.

Skywest is also looking at an additional two Fokker 100s to meet demand as it closes on a number of major resource fly-in/fly-out contracts.  The airline's managing director, Hugh Davin, was coy about details of the contracts but confirmed that the airline was about to launch its air operator's certificate application for the Airbus A320, due for delivery in November next year.

The new management team at Skywest turned around the airline's operational performance, which had suffered because of a lack of focus. They improved elements such as on-time performance, which has soared from a low of 77 per cent late last year to 99 per cent in September.

The turnaround has also been marked with a significant lift in revenue and profits. The airline has just announced a 33 per cent jump in revenue to $103 million for the 2006-07 year and a 50 per cent lift in profit to $6.28 million despite much higher fuel costs and a $3.76 million one-off tax charge. The revenue rise was boosted by a 62 per cent increase in charter work from the resource sector, while RPT (Regular Public Transport) revenue rose 25 per cent.

Skywest has lifted its scheduled charter revenue from a "low base" in 2003 to about $35 million in the 2006-07 year.

Skywest's plans for an A320 were first mentioned in September last year but put on hold until Mr Davin arrived early this year. Originally the airline announced an ambitious lease of four aircraft, but that has been scaled back to one to be delivered in November next year. Yet insiders suggest that by the time the first arrives, a second will be scheduled. Long-term plans still call for at least four A320s.

The A320s would be used to meet increasing demand on routes such as Perth-Broome and Perth-Karratha and for resource contracts.

Skywest finds itself in a unique position in Western Australia in that it can combine RPT and scheduled charter on the same flight. This is valuable for the larger resource-sector clients, who are required by the state Government to support local communities in return for their right to mine certain resources.

(Geoffrey Thomas, The Australian, December 07, 2007)

November:  

South African Airlines celebrated 50 years of operations between Perth and South Africa on the 28/11.  The first flight was with a DC7 in 1957.

Jetstar launches 100-plane raid on Asia

PERTH and Darwin have emerged the big winners from a massive Jetstar expansion that will see the Qantas offshoot boost its fleet to 100 aircraft as it develops its domestic market and intensifies its push into South-east Asia.

The airline will set up short-haul international bases in the cities to serve the fast-growing Asian markets, using them as launch pad to a range of destinations in neighbouring countries. Jetstar chief executive Alan Joyce said the bases would be established within two years but added their sizes were yet to be determined.

"We see there's a lot of potential, there could be a large number of aircraft in both Perth and Darwin," he said. "It could be in the region, easily, of four to five aircraft being based there. "But it will all depend on how it progresses. We'll start, as we normally do, with a smaller base and work up."

On Wednesday, Qantas announced it would acquire up to 188 Boeing and Airbus narrow-body aircraft over the next six years as it moved to protect its domestic market and increase its push into Asia.  The agreements with the manufacturers include 68 firm orders of A320 and A321 aircraft, with options and purchase rights on 40 more, for Jetstar and its Asian affiliates. Qantas gains 31 B737-800s, with 49 options and purchase rights.

Coalition offers pilot education courses and technical training in election pitch

A REGIONAL airline pilot scholarship scheme, a new aviation technical college and funding to help the industry cut greenhouse gases are among the promises in the first aviation policy to emerge in the federal election campaign.

The release of the Coalition's policy comes amid growing industry criticism that aviation was not being taken seriously enough by either major party. The coalition, which is heavily emphasising the skills shortage, would also provide $250,000 for Royal Australian Aero clubs to run cadet certificate courses to encourage high school students to pursue a career in general aviation.

The additional promises would cost the Government less than $10 million, with $9 million going to the pilot scholarship scheme.

Transport Minister Mark Vaile said the Australian Aviation Transport Technical College would be established near Perth Airport and would complement a campus in Nowra that focuses on aviation trade training. He said the college would allow up to 200 year 11 and 12 students to study for their year 12 qualifications each year, while gaining one-third of an aviation apprenticeship.

(Steve Creedy , The Australian,  November 16, 2007)

Garuda Bounces Back

Garuda Indonesia has announced another major expansion of its Perth-Bali services in response to overwhelming demand, with three extra return flights a week from December 2.

The extra GA729 flights from Perth, and GA726 returning from Bali, mean Garuda Indonesia will step up to double daily direct flights to and from Bali on every weekday except Wednesday, when there is a single flight. It also operates four direct Jakarta services a week, introduced earlier this year.  

The additional Perth capacity follows an earlier announcement of a partnership with Virgin Blue which will make it easier for Australian travellers to holiday in Indonesia by utilising a range of affordable through-fares to Bali and Jakarta from Virgin Blue Australian domestic ports

October:  Perth Problems

Perth has become a victim of its own success. Not only is the passenger number growing but the rate of growth has increased. It has already reached the traffic levels predicted for 2020 in its master plan. More than 8 million people passed through the airport in 2006-07, up 13.4 per cent on the previous year.  Between 2002 and 2006-07, the airport experienced more than 80 per cent growth in domestic passenger traffic.

A 15 per cent rise in domestic travel to 5.1 million passengers provided the biggest increase, but international travel also rose a solid 9.6 per cent to 2 million passengers. First-quarter figures, released last week, have confirmed the trend. More than 2.2 million passengers flew in and out of the Perth during the quarter, up 15 per cent on last year, with international figures up 22 per cent and domestic rising 13 per cent.  

The airport has already moved to address parking problems and plans to add around 6000 bays over the coming years, almost doubling the capacity. It is also adding new narrow and wide-body apron parking to better accommodate the 32 aircraft that park there overnight. Qantas has also announced a $50 million investment in its terminal to ease unpleasant congestion during peak periods. This will include expansion of the check-in area, installation of QuickCheck kiosks, new security screening, an expansion to the departure lounge and a desperately needed boost to its baggage systems.

The state's phenomenal resources boom has generated one of the more startling growth figures at Perth: a 47 per cent jump in general aviation movements for 2006-07. This came on top of a 45 per cent increase the year before which means 41 per cent of aircraft movements now account for about 7 per cent of passenger movements.  This "capacity-hungry" sector is creating pressure on the airfield, as many flights take off or land at the same time. It also means the airport is operating at close to full capacity in the early hours of the morning.

The growth is expected to continue. The WA Treasury conservatively estimates the gross state product will grow by 4.5-5 per cent annually over the next five years.

The airport is also talking to the WA Government about changing the road system around the airport to make access easier as well as the possibility of a rail link servicing the airport. The road plan could see Leach Highway extended over Tonkin Highway into the airport estate, linking it with another major logistics hub, Fremantle Port. The rail link would see a spur from Bayswater station on the Midland line that would be part of the metropolitan network

(Perth moves on terminal troubles
Steve Creedy , The Australian, October 26, 2007)

Miners to Fly-in/Fly-out of Busselton

The South-West is set to get a direct link to the Pilbara mining boom with Rio Tinto to start a fly-in, fly-out commute roster from Busselton this year.

Rio Tinto managing director of Pilbara mine operations David Smith said the labour shortage had forced the company to add the new regional FIFO destination in a bid to attract and retain workers.

About 80 Busselton-based workers, most of them existing staff, would commute to Yandicoogina and West Angelas mine sites in the East Pilbara by the end of the year and the Hope Downs site would be added to the roster when it comes on board next year.  More workers were expected to be added to the route after a South-West recruitment drive for mine staff.

Slot-times for Perth

With the mining boom showing no signs of abating, Airservices has bitten the bullet and introduced slot times for peak traffic periods at Perth.

AMD TFC HLDG FUEL ADVISORY

ALL TFC 15 MINS
MON 0120-0300
TUE/WED/THU 0100-0300 AND 0915-1115
FRI 0915-1030
FLIGHTS DCT TO PERTH WITH FLT TIME IN EXCESS OF 8 HRS ARE EXEMPT
FROM THESE HOLDING FUEL RQMNTS

A. ANTICIPATED DELAYS ARE BASED ON RWY AVAILABILITY

B. ALL ACFT DEP FROM AERODROME WITHIN 210NM RAD OF PERTH, PLANNED TO
ARRIVE WITHIN PERIODS OF TFC HLDG FUEL ADVISORY ARE REQUIRED TO
OBTAIN AN AGREED LANDING SLOT TIME. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO
MED 1, HOSP, SAR, FFR PRIORITY OR HELICOPTERS.

C. SLOT TIMES MAY BE OBTAINED BY PHONE 08 9476 8620.

D. ACFT WIH A SLOT TIME, AND ARRIVING WITHIN 3MIN OF THAT TIME, CAN
EXPECT A MAX 8 MIN AIRBOURNE DELAY.

E. GROUND DELAYS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IF AIRBOURNE DELAYS EXCEED
15MIN.

F. GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHTS (IFR AND VFR) SHOULD PLAN NOT TO USE
PERTH AERODROME DURING THE NOTAMED DELAY PERIODS, IN ORDER TO
AVOID EXCESSIVE DELAYS.

THIS SUPERCEDES TFC HLDG AS SPECIFIED IN
AIP ENR SUP AUSTRALIA FAC P-10
FROM 10 051030 TO 12 071030

Karratha-Brisbane Flights to Commence.

The airline’s regional general manager for Western Australia, Ian Gay, said the new service would be the first direct connection between the Pilbara region and the east coast.  Mr Gay said there was a market for the service as both Queensland and Western Australia were enjoying a resources boom.  The service would also boost tourism opportunities, he said.

September:  Belly landing at Jandakot

Chris Choo, a trainee pilot, about to set his Mooney down at Jandakot.  He circled for two hours to burn off fuel after it was discovered one of the landing wheels would not fully release into position.

August:  Fly in, fly out mining threatened by pilots’ strike

 ATSB report on QANTAS Mayday

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released its report on the serious incident at Perth involving a Qantas A330 last September.  The international flight from Singapore made two unsuccessful approaches in fog and, with a reduced fuel quantity, the crew declared an emergency prior to completing a successful autoland approach to RWY 21.  The RWY21 ILS is CAT 1 and not authorised for autoland.

http://www.atsb.gov.au:80/publications/investigation_reports/2006/AAIR/aair200605473.aspx

QANTAS terminal upgrade

QANTAS has announced it will spend $50m upgrading the airline's Perth terminal in major revamp beginning later this year.  Qantas executive general manager services Curtis Davies said the improvements were necessary to cope with the increasing number of domestic travellers using the airport, recently branded the worst in the country.  The remodelled terminal would provide better passenger facilities as well as aircraft and baggage services.  Mr Davies said the improvement would include more check-in counters, faster security screening, a bigger departure lounge and an upgraded Qantas Club lounge.

The investment was welcomed by airport owner Westralia Airports Corporation.  Perth airport chief executive Brad Geatches said the decision recognised that WA was one of the airline's strongest growth markets and a vital part of its global network.  
The number of passenger at Perth's domestic terminals has almost doubled in the past five years and more than five million passengers would pass through the terminal this year - most through the Qantas terminal, Mr Geatches said.  Perth Airport has already begun spending $19m million on other airport improvements.

CEO visits Perth

The CEO of Airservices Australia visited Perth this week and met the Tower, TCU, TAS and ARFF teams at Perth and spent time at the Jandakot Tower. The mining boom in Western Australia has had a significant impact on traffic in Perth airspace, with movements up by 25% over the past six months and Jandakot experiencing its busiest day on record last Friday 3 August - recording 1901 movements in a 12-hour period. While visiting the ARFF team, discussions included the proposed new fire station. 

Rail link to tunnel under runway

The State Government is investigating the option of tunnelling under the runway at Perth Airport as part of an ambitious plan to link the city by rail or tram to a combined international and domestic terminal in the next decade.
  
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the State was looking at three options to provide the link to the airport.
  
Two proposals would involve tunnelling under the airstrip with a tram line connecting to the city via Great Eastern Highway or a rail line running along Tonkin Highway and linking with Bayswater train station.

If the international and domestic terminals were merged into one site, the Westralia Airports Corporation was looking to convert part of its land into large commercial precincts that could house up to 20,000 workers.
  
The Government is also planning for major medium density residential developments around the Brearley Avenue area and both these developments would make a train link viable.

Skywest announces expansion.

Skywest Airlines announced that it has secured a further two Fokker 100 jets adding to the company’s existing Perth based fleet of ten jet and propjet aircraft.

Skywest Managing Director, Hugh Davin advised that the aircraft will bring the company’s jet fleet up to five 100 seaters. “These aircraft are essential to the growth of our airline and resource sector support activities”, Mr Davin said.

Skywest CEO, Paul Daff advised that the delivery program was still being worked through with the first of the two aircraft expected to enter service in late September followed by the second in November. A sixth jet is on the agenda for early 2008.

“Once a delivery date has been confirmed, the airline will be in the position to announce increased services and additional routes, including a firm start date for the much anticipated Kalgoorlie to East Coast service,” Mr Daff said.

Mr Daff went on to say that the announcement was great news for the WA market and that the leasing of these additional aircraft facilitated exciting growth for Skywest Airlines.

More ADSB Aircraft

Two Defence VIP B737s are amongst an additional 48 aircraft now eligible for ADS-B services.  Other new additions to the ADS-B Approved Aircraft Register include 30 United Airlines aircraft, an additional 13 Cathay Pacific aircraft and 3 more China Airlines aircraft.  Approximately 370 aircraft are now approved to receive the benefits of ADS-B and numbers continue to grow.

The next round of approvals will include more aircraft from Emirates [6 new B777s], Cathay Pacific [B747-400 fleet], Etihad and Royal Flying Doctors Service Western Australia [RFDS WA].

Cannabis led to fatal plane crash

A pilot who died when he crashed a crop duster in Ballidu in 2005 had recently used cannabis, according to a report into the crash released yesterday.  The Aviation Transport Safety Bureau report found that “the adverse effects on pilot performance of recent cannabis use must be considered a significant factor in the accident” which killed the man in October 2005.

The pilot had been making a practice water drop near the Ballidu aerodrome, 200km north-east of Perth, and the crash was most likely the result of an aerodynamic stall.

He had been flying too low to recover.

July:  Tiger Airways to commence Perth services.

From December 1, 2007, the airline will operate three flights a week between Melbourne and Alice Springs with one-fares from AU$59.95 all inclusive, and daily flights between Melbourne and Perth with one-way fares from AU$69.95 all inclusive. Flights are subject to regulatory approval. More new routes to be announced shortly.

Malaysian and Cathay expand Perth services

Malaysian Airlines has just announced extra Perth-Kuala Lumpur services for the peak season with an expansion of the MH126/127 weekly flights.

From the 5th of December, 2007 until the 7th of February, 2008, MH126 Perth-Kuala Lumpur, and returning flight MH127 will increase frequency to three times a week.

In a statement, Malaysian Airlines said, "By increasing our MH126 flights from Perth, we create a greater choice for our business and leisure customers as our connections increase to a number of destinations."

The additions will be an extra Thursday departure for the MH126, and an additional Wednesday departure for the MH127.

This results in the MH126 departing Perth at 02:05 leaving on Monday, Thursday and Friday; with the returning service departing Kuala Lumpur at 18:25 leaving on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday.

These additional flights will compliment the existing daily MH124/125 Perth-Kuala Lumpur Flights.

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific will be altering its arrival and departure times for its direct Perth - Hong Kong services in an attempt to improve connections between Perth and the various destinations across the Cathay Pacific/Dragonair network.

Starting from 29 October, flight CX171 will arrive in Perth at 11:45pm in the evening and depart for the return to Hong Kong at 12:55am on 30 October. This change will apply to all four of the carrier's weekly flights to Hong Kong.

The new schedule will mean vastly improved transfers between Cathay Pacific and Dragonair services which fly to 22 major destinations in China as well as various cities across Asia, North America and Europe. In particular, passengers on the new CX171 flight can enjoy excellent connections on the CX257/CX252 London flights."

June:  Exmouth man charged over air rage

An Exmouth man who allegedly threatened to open aeroplane doors mid-flight and challenged cabin crew members to a drunken fight has been charged by police.

The man was on a Skywest aircraft which took off from Perth Airport about noon on Friday when he became drunk and belligerent, police say.  Flight attendants reported to police that the man began shouting at other passengers on the full plane and became abusive about halfway through the flight.

The plane landed at Learmonth Airport, 40km south of Exmouth about 2pm where local police arrested and charged the man with offensive and disorderly behaviour on an aircraft.  He is due to appear in Exmouth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

April:  Virgin Atlantic Plans Perth Service

VIRGIN Atlantic will become the first airline to fly non-stop from London to Australia after buying 43 new, fuel-efficient aircraft from Boeing.  Sir Richard Branson, the airline's chairman, announced the US$8 billion ($9.6 billion) order for up to 43 B787 Dreamliners. They will allow Virgin to launch super-longhaul flights to Perth and later to Sydney and Melbourne

March:  Perth Traffic Growth

Perth airport domestic passenger numbers from their website:

2001-2002  3,160,085
2002-2003  3,720,237
2003-2004  4,272,187
2004-2005  4,678,976
2005-2006  5,107,657
2006-2007 ( Year to date) 3,457,930 - this time last year 2,995,079

Published movements stats on this site are for aircraft greater than 20,000 kg only, so do not include the numerous turboprops which service the mining sites.

February:  Ozjet to Derby

OzJet said it has moved into the WA market with a scheduled service between Perth and Derby.  CEO Willie O'Neill said it negotiated with three mining companies and the Derby-West Kimberley shire to ensure a sustainable volume of passengers was achieved to justify the service.
OzJet 737-200s also operate regular services to Norfolk Island from Sydney and Brisbane and from Brisbane to Port Moresby, as well as charters.