11-15-2015, 02:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-15-2015, 04:47 PM by thorn bird.)
A Sunday Ramble
Not the bloody Airports again!!
"Welcome that’s just plane rude"
Terry McCrann, normally a finance reporter, voiced what perhaps a lot of people feel when they pass through our “Privatised” airports.
In the Daily telegraph on the 10th of November, describing Sydney airport:
“Welcome to Australia and the 20th century”
“Outdated is the kindest word to describe the approach to facilitating things for visitors”
“ More accurate words would be “Dreadful”, “Disgraceful” and “Embarrassing”. If Sydney Airport is the gateway to Australia it has blazoned across it. “Don’t bother coming back”.
Terry mate, what you describe is the inevitable result of leasing our Public infrastructure to entities who have no interest in running airports, Their only focus is maximising the profits their monopoly can provide by gouging the users and salting the money away in tax free havens.
He then goes on to describe his experience passing through Tokyo’s airport and compares it to Sydney’s, then asks some very poignant questions and ask’s who’s responsible ?
“The Howard Government for selling the airport with maximum gouge rather than requiring the private sector owners to get it right?”
“ Sydney Airport for putting profits ahead of service?”
“ The airlines, especially QANTAS, for going along with it?”
Terry, I’m as embarrassed as you about our third world airports, but consider this.
If the airport operators are so reticent to spend money to facilitate passenger comfort and convenience, how much do you think they spend on infrastructure for the aircraft that land on it?
I can tell you exactly.
The absolute minimum to meet their regulatory obligations and not a cent more.
That is why you’re a hell of a lot safer flying elsewhere in the world than braving Australia’s antiquated, creaking third world system.
Perhaps the question to be asked is who set up the arrangements for leasing the airports? What did they imagine their reward would be?
Why was the lease so biased towards the lessor and their tax free profits, rather than the users and ultimately their customers, it was and still is a monopoly after all?
Sydney is one of the most expensive airports in the world to fly into, a billion dollars a year in turnover and not a cent paid in tax. Imagine what our airports would be like if those profits were ploughed back into the airport?
A meeting was held last week at Bankstown airport to discuss the airports future when Badgerys creek opens. Under our current third world traffic management plan IFR operations would be severely restricted at Bankstown, largely because of the alignment of the runway 11-29 complex. Strange how the rest of the world seems to be able to manage airports in close proximity?
London Heathrow for example , with seconday airports located within its control zone.
New York comes to mind, Kennedy, Teteborough, Newark etc
Dallas Fort Worth, the main airport big enough to fit Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and probably Perth into its area, surrounded by no less than 14 satellite airports.
Speaking of Perth, there was a lot of talk last year about Perth needing a second runway, that imperative now eased with the slowdown in the mining Industry. Unfortunately with the usual lack of foresight the government capitulated to the greed of the airport Airport Operator over the future needs of the aviation industry and allowed them to develop airport land as an industrial estate.
If the imperative for a second runway resurfaces, which it will, people will have to give up their homes as land will have to be resumed to facilitate a second runway, because land that was reserved for that purpose is now an industrial estate.
Bankstown Airport is in the same boat.
It is rumoured a godfather of development sharks, patron of Bikey gang industrial relations experts and model litigant of Local Government councillors who take exception to his “Robust” environmental credentials, intends to develop airside land, not as his spin doctors describe it "as land adjacent to Bankstown Airport" .
Another shopping Mall, just what the country needs, no doubt employing tens of thousands of shop assistants to flog Chinese made merchandise manufactured from dirt we exported last year from WA.
The users of Bankstown airport now find themselves much as Perth Airport.
We used to have a runway aligned North South, which could have been developed for IFR departures and arrivals, a runway that would not have impinged on Badgery Creeks airspace.
Contrary to the airport Act, the airport lease, the advice of many in Industry that it was required for safety, the minister of the day allowed that runway to be closed, no doubt under "advice" from his Murky mandarin with a whole different objective.
Were the interests of the airport users or for their future needs ever considered by the minister? or contrary to the Airport Act did he put the interests of billionaire property developers ahead of his responsibilities to look after the interests of aviation?
It is rumoured that there are moves afoot to change the airport act and the lease terms for the airport. It is being done in secret, no doubt under the watchful eye of a Murky Mandarin.
For what purpose?
To retrospectively legalise the destruction of a flood plain with contaminated landfill without EPA approval?
To enable freehold title to be given to a billionaire developer perhaps?
The NDB at Bankstown was moved. We understand to facilitate access to Milperra road to save a development shark 20 odd million dollars.
We understand that move was initially opposed by the responsible ASA manager.
It is passing strange that shortly after his refusal, anomalies in his expense account were discovered forcing his resignation.
A coincidence that shortly after the NDB was moved?
Which begs the question, who paid for it, and was the radio aid recalibrated?
Just as Terry McCrann’s article paints a very sad picture of the state of our primary airports, so the goings on at our secondary airports paints a very Murky picture of the management of our public infrastructure, to favour development sharks over airport users.
Has there been a conspiracy all along within the hallowed halls of the Cant’berra bureauracracy to circumvent the original intent of the Airports Act, to decimate a whole industry in favour of billionaire developers?
I guess only a Royal Commission could tell us that.
Not the bloody Airports again!!
"Welcome that’s just plane rude"
Terry McCrann, normally a finance reporter, voiced what perhaps a lot of people feel when they pass through our “Privatised” airports.
In the Daily telegraph on the 10th of November, describing Sydney airport:
“Welcome to Australia and the 20th century”
“Outdated is the kindest word to describe the approach to facilitating things for visitors”
“ More accurate words would be “Dreadful”, “Disgraceful” and “Embarrassing”. If Sydney Airport is the gateway to Australia it has blazoned across it. “Don’t bother coming back”.
Terry mate, what you describe is the inevitable result of leasing our Public infrastructure to entities who have no interest in running airports, Their only focus is maximising the profits their monopoly can provide by gouging the users and salting the money away in tax free havens.
He then goes on to describe his experience passing through Tokyo’s airport and compares it to Sydney’s, then asks some very poignant questions and ask’s who’s responsible ?
“The Howard Government for selling the airport with maximum gouge rather than requiring the private sector owners to get it right?”
“ Sydney Airport for putting profits ahead of service?”
“ The airlines, especially QANTAS, for going along with it?”
Terry, I’m as embarrassed as you about our third world airports, but consider this.
If the airport operators are so reticent to spend money to facilitate passenger comfort and convenience, how much do you think they spend on infrastructure for the aircraft that land on it?
I can tell you exactly.
The absolute minimum to meet their regulatory obligations and not a cent more.
That is why you’re a hell of a lot safer flying elsewhere in the world than braving Australia’s antiquated, creaking third world system.
Perhaps the question to be asked is who set up the arrangements for leasing the airports? What did they imagine their reward would be?
Why was the lease so biased towards the lessor and their tax free profits, rather than the users and ultimately their customers, it was and still is a monopoly after all?
Sydney is one of the most expensive airports in the world to fly into, a billion dollars a year in turnover and not a cent paid in tax. Imagine what our airports would be like if those profits were ploughed back into the airport?
A meeting was held last week at Bankstown airport to discuss the airports future when Badgerys creek opens. Under our current third world traffic management plan IFR operations would be severely restricted at Bankstown, largely because of the alignment of the runway 11-29 complex. Strange how the rest of the world seems to be able to manage airports in close proximity?
London Heathrow for example , with seconday airports located within its control zone.
New York comes to mind, Kennedy, Teteborough, Newark etc
Dallas Fort Worth, the main airport big enough to fit Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and probably Perth into its area, surrounded by no less than 14 satellite airports.
Speaking of Perth, there was a lot of talk last year about Perth needing a second runway, that imperative now eased with the slowdown in the mining Industry. Unfortunately with the usual lack of foresight the government capitulated to the greed of the airport Airport Operator over the future needs of the aviation industry and allowed them to develop airport land as an industrial estate.
If the imperative for a second runway resurfaces, which it will, people will have to give up their homes as land will have to be resumed to facilitate a second runway, because land that was reserved for that purpose is now an industrial estate.
Bankstown Airport is in the same boat.
It is rumoured a godfather of development sharks, patron of Bikey gang industrial relations experts and model litigant of Local Government councillors who take exception to his “Robust” environmental credentials, intends to develop airside land, not as his spin doctors describe it "as land adjacent to Bankstown Airport" .
Another shopping Mall, just what the country needs, no doubt employing tens of thousands of shop assistants to flog Chinese made merchandise manufactured from dirt we exported last year from WA.
The users of Bankstown airport now find themselves much as Perth Airport.
We used to have a runway aligned North South, which could have been developed for IFR departures and arrivals, a runway that would not have impinged on Badgery Creeks airspace.
Contrary to the airport Act, the airport lease, the advice of many in Industry that it was required for safety, the minister of the day allowed that runway to be closed, no doubt under "advice" from his Murky mandarin with a whole different objective.
Were the interests of the airport users or for their future needs ever considered by the minister? or contrary to the Airport Act did he put the interests of billionaire property developers ahead of his responsibilities to look after the interests of aviation?
It is rumoured that there are moves afoot to change the airport act and the lease terms for the airport. It is being done in secret, no doubt under the watchful eye of a Murky Mandarin.
For what purpose?
To retrospectively legalise the destruction of a flood plain with contaminated landfill without EPA approval?
To enable freehold title to be given to a billionaire developer perhaps?
The NDB at Bankstown was moved. We understand to facilitate access to Milperra road to save a development shark 20 odd million dollars.
We understand that move was initially opposed by the responsible ASA manager.
It is passing strange that shortly after his refusal, anomalies in his expense account were discovered forcing his resignation.
A coincidence that shortly after the NDB was moved?
Which begs the question, who paid for it, and was the radio aid recalibrated?
Just as Terry McCrann’s article paints a very sad picture of the state of our primary airports, so the goings on at our secondary airports paints a very Murky picture of the management of our public infrastructure, to favour development sharks over airport users.
Has there been a conspiracy all along within the hallowed halls of the Cant’berra bureauracracy to circumvent the original intent of the Airports Act, to decimate a whole industry in favour of billionaire developers?
I guess only a Royal Commission could tell us that.