Page 89 - AA 2018_11

QAL
‘You can bolt on
more airports
without adding
further significant
overlay.’
CHRIS MILLS airports are struggling from a
a team of HR, legal, business Longreach is served by a
development, providing a resource modest nine one-way flights a
available to any of our airports. week. qal
“I guess it means once you have
already invested in that corporate
structure centrally you can bolt
on more airports without adding
further significant overlay. It’s really
leveraging off the fact we have that
resource in place.
“For example, it means that when coming in from where and when. The
a team is travelling around talking to line-up on the rank appears as if by
airlines about new route opportunities magic ahead of the next flight in.
for the Gold Coast or Townsville, it is At first, the brightly-lit, modern,
also engaging with airlines around Mt open plan terminal seems dominated
Isa and Longreach.” by workers flying home, still wearing
For Longreach, growth potential their hi-vis gear after finishing another
has much to do with the development stint at the mines, but a closer look
of tourism in the central west, though reveals an eclectic mix: suited public
Mills acknowledges it is still far more servants and business people heading
likely visitors will arrive in the town by back to Brisbane or Townsville on
road or rail to take in attractions such Virgin or Qantas jet services, families
as the Stockmans Hall of Fame or with young children bound for remote
the Qantas Founders Museum. Both towns on the subsidised routes flown
Longreach and Winton, home of the by Regional Express, and explorer
Waltzing Matilda centre and gateway types at the end of a holiday with a
to the dinosaur trail, are key stops on difference.
the caravan-towing Grey Nomad route It is a representation in human
around and across Australia. form of the diversity that is the
According to Mills, just eight per cornerstone of the philosophy that
cent of visitors to Longreach travel QAL applies to its assets.
by air. That said, airport growth was The group acquired both Mt Isa
decent over FY18: 33,000 passengers, and Townsville airports in 2005
an increase on the previous year of and there is a strong link between
4.7 per cent. the two centres. As Mills puts it,
“We would love to see the western strong economic conditions in Mt Isa
Queensland tourism sector take off, typically means strength in Townsville
and are supportive of that.” activity.
In the meantime successful According to QAL, there are
operation of a council lease at more than 40 one-way flights per
week from Mount Isa, to eight
Longreach puts up a flag signalling
that QAL is well-qualified to take up destinations. The airport’s passenger
further regional airport opportunities mix is predominantly business-based,
should the opportunity arise.
accounting for more than 80 per
“It is challenging for small airports
to have a sustainable ownership cent of all travel. There is also a high
frequency among the fly-in/fly-out
model,” Mills said.
market.
“I know that is why many councils After some concern sparked by
who operate and own regional the downturn in the resources sector,
the airport is back on track with 19
funding perspective and are looking consecutive months of growth in
for assistance from government to passenger numbers, up 7.5 per cent in
continue to provide those services.” the last year alone to almost 196,000.
Admitting that he was choosing Townsville Airport, meanwhile,
his words carefully, Mills said QAL is the north Queensland jewel in the
would always “run the ruler” over a QAL crown.
prospect to identify whether it would Australia’s 11th busiest airport is
be a good fit. the gateway to the region with an
“To put some context around that, I average of 180 direct flights one way
can’t see us necessarily looking too far per week and a record 1.67 million
afield because the advantage of having passengers in the last financial
a centralised corporate resource starts year. Direct flights service Brisbane,
to become more difficult if you talk Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Darwin
about remote locations. and other regional centres around
“It’s one thing to say I can jump on Queensland.
a plane and travel to Townsville and It also handles about 7,500
Mt Isa or Longreach, but if I had to freight movements and 31,000 GA
travel a significant distance it would movements a year.
start to reduce those advantages.” QAL says the airport is also a
major economic “enabler” for the area,
he cab drivers in Mt Isa are supporting more than 3,000 jobs and
attuned to the arrival and contributing $420 million a year to
Tdeparture schedule at the city’s the regional economy.
small but efficient airport. “Townsville has a diversified
There are enough flights to keep the economy, and that means we have a
meters ticking over and not so many diversified passenger base.”
that the cabbies lose track of what is There’s that word again.
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