Perth Airport’s passenger traffic has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels with 14.17 million using the airport in FY23, just 2 per cent less than in FY19.
Perth Airport’s passenger traffic has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels with 14.17 million using the airport in FY23, just 2 per cent less than in FY19.
The demand is being driven by intrastate travel, largely fly-in, fly-out, which is 30 per cent up on FY19 to 5.53 million passengers.
The airport’s international traffic is still well down being 25 per cent less than in FY19 at 3.28 million passengers, while interstate is 9 per cent down at 5.53 million passengers.
The international traffic is expected to surge with new airlines, such as Vietjet coming into the market, while All Nippon Airways is returning from October.
Cathay Pacific Airways is also increasing flights this year with further increases next year.
The increase in traffic is putting pressure on the need for a second parallel runway with most landing/take-off slots taken in peak midweek periods.
Resource projects worth over $100 billion, employing tens of thousands and producing billions in royalties are in jeopardy because of the delay in getting the final environmental tick-off for a second parallel runway at Perth Airport.
The airport is now at capacity at peak periods during the week and late last year airlines were briefed by the airport that there were no more slots available for their resource customers for fly-in/fly-out charters in their preferred flying times.
Perth Airport has two cross runways which can, depending upon winds, be used concurrently to slightly ease congestion but this is not a solution.
Without a second parallel runway the airport cannot support the next round of resource development.
The Commonwealth approvals process for the Major Development Plan for the $900 million runway began in October 2017.
It was approved by the then Minister for Infrastructure Michael McCormack in November 2020, with environmental conditions attached.
An airport spokesman said while it has “been granted the appropriate clearing permit from the Federal Department of Environment it still needs the same department to approve a clearing strategy.
The runway development has also passed all approvals under the State’s Aboriginal Heritage Act and the impact on Munday Swamp has been reduced to just 1 per cent with no impact on any water bodies.
