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Old 19th Feb 2018, 23:18
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Capn Bloggs
 
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I keep telling you lot, it's all happening... YCUN

From The West Australian, 19 Feb 2018
Cunderdin strip still in alternative airport mix
Geoffrey Thomas

Despite the upgrade to Perth Airport’s fog-beating autoland system, the proposed redevelopment of Cunderdin Aerodrome as a nearby alternative airport remains on track and is essential to maximising airlines’ safety options and fuel savings.

According to Ascent Aviation’s managing director Benjamin Reid, Perth’s autoland upgrade does not dilute the importance of upgrading Cunderdin.

Ascent is proposing multimillion-dollar improvements of Cunderdin airport, a plan which has received bipartisan support from the major political parties.

The company is working with several major international airlines on the business case for the project.

Cunderdin is 160km east of Perth but is little more than 15 minutes flying time from the city and is not adversely affected by the weather at Perth Airport.

While the Perth Airport upgrade will eliminate the need for diversion to Adelaide for most international airlines, planes still need to carry fuel for an alternative, and the most suitable for most aircraft is Learmonth — a 90-minute flight.

“There is no level of sophistication in airport infrastructure that guarantees an aircraft’s safe landing , which is why airlines will continue to carry extra fuel reserves to Perth even with the new CAT IIIB Instrument Landing System,” Mr Reid said.

And on days when Perth Airport weather is forecast below minimum landing requirements, there are a few international airlines that opt to carry enough fuel for two alternative airports, he added.

“For the Boeing 777-300 ER, the two nominated alternates might be Learmonth and Adelaide, but for the Airbus A380, the two would be Adelaide and Melbourne, as Learmonth is not rated for the aircraft,” Mr Reid said. “The Cunderdin upgrade will be A380-rated .”

An autoland system does not help in extremely windy conditions and Perth Airport has been affected by high winds rolling off the Darling Range in summer.

Manufacturers stipulate maximum crosswinds for aircraft and if the winds exceed those they must divert.

The Perth autoland upgrade and the Cunderdin alternative combination would enable airlines to carry the lowest safe level of additional fuel leading to significant cost savings.

One of the keys to the viability of Cunderdin is that while it is close to Perth, its weather is sufficiently different to make it viable.
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