The turnaround in the prospective fortunes of Merimbula airport has been dramatic and sudden. In August 2012 there was no master plan, no business plan and little idea of future income and traffic generation; in fact it could be said that there was collective hand-wringing about the numbers of passengers, around 35,000 on the Sydney route and about 17,000 on the Melbourne route.
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Just three years later and Bega Valley Shire Council has applied for state funding for the upgrade and expansion of the airport and has successfully been placed on a shortlist.
The numbers of passengers haven’t changed but the development of both Canberra airport and the Port of Eden are two significant drivers of council’s optimism.
Canberra airport has undergone massive expansion, with plans to bring international flights into the capital. Part of Canberra airport’s master plan is to see the development of regional flights and the master plan lists Merimbula and Moruya as routes that could be developed within a 20 year time frame.
As and when international flights commence, it will open up routes for tourism and business directly into Asian markets, something that oyster farmers could find attractive.
Asked about the importance of Merimbula airport, chairman of Sapphire Coast Tourism, Bruce Leaver, said: “It’s a major tourism hub to a market that is critical to our long-term future.”
He said that Canberra airport, by linking with Singapore Airlines, offered the prospect of visitors who were time poor but eager to get to the core of the area, “either by car, or further down the track by plane”.
The other driver of development, Eden Port, brings cruise ship passengers into the equation.
The extension to the wharf will allow cruise ship passengers to disembark directly at Eden rather than using a tender but with the addition of customs, which are already located at Eden, will allow international passengers to disembark with the possibility of using air travel as part of the overall holiday.
Natalie Godward, of Cruise Eden, said: “Merimbula airport is so massive and important for our area; the airport, the regional hospital and the wharf development are all so important. For people who haven’t experienced our area, the airport offers the chance to be a feeder to the area and be part of a fly/cruise package.”
The wharf extension is expected to be finished by June 30, 2017, Ms Godward said but already there are nine ships expected to call into Eden in the coming season. “These bookings are on the back of the success of last season’s visits,” she said.
The opportunities were outlined by council’s general manager, Leanne Barnes in a council business paper in July, 2014.
“With the Eden Port progressing through leadership by Crown Lands it is timely to focus on leveraging as much funding for the critical Merimbula airport development. There are a range of opportunities to link with Canberra airport, the cruise industry and others to grow tourism usage.”
She said that the airport was a key link in growing the area and that council, through Cruise Eden, has had conversations with cruise companies.
Ms Barnes said that state and federal funding for the airport, should they be granted, were opportunities to carry out much of the work that had been outlined in the Merimbula airport master plan.
“Whilst council has funded the resurfacing of the runway through a special variation to fund loan borrowings it is prudent to gain support from state and federal government programs to fund the master plan implementation.”
Should it be successful in obtaining the funds, council is proposing to use the $6.7 million that it has applied for as part of a staged development for the airport. The money would be used for:
· Existing runway 200m extension north $2m
· Seal to the end of the RESA (runway end safety area) south $1.2m
· Expand existing terminal building $1m
· Develop precinct 1 General Aviation – hangar development including services $2.5m