From the Letters page of The West today:
Second runway needed
How sad that Perth Airport's answer to the air-traffic congestion is to "impose hefty charges on small aircraft at peak times" (Airport charges rise, . 18/4) in the hope the smaller aircraft will go away It is typical of the small-town mentality here in WA that a financial big stick will be wielded, rather than addressing the real problem.
This airport desperately needs a parallel runway and high-speed taxiways and Australia in general needs a revamp of the clumsy and restrictive air-traffic control procedures that strangle aircraft traffic flow into Perth every day
Many airports in WA are too small to be serviced by big aircraft and there will always be a need for small aircraft to provide for industry needs. The smaller aircraft operate to fit in with the shift-change schedules of the big mines and it is not easy for these to be adjusted. Currently a two-hour round trip flight typically is extended by up to 15 minutes because of air-traffic control delays, adding hundreds of dollars to the cost of the flight. At least one charter company in Perth is already adding this cost on to its clients' fees. Undoubtedly, others will follow suit so, as usual, the customer pays.
Where else in the world would the main runway of the primary airport in the State be shut down for maintenance for six weeks, six days a week for 11 hours and extending through the evening peak period (that's excluding over Easter, of course, in this land of the long weekend)? Many other countries would be doing this essential work during the night, or at least re-opening the main runway for the evening rush hour. Even Main Roads does its maintenance at night on major roads -for example, the recent night closures of the Farmer freeway tunnel for re-surfacing.
It is absolutely inevitable that we will eventually have a second runway and high-speed taxiways (which allow aircraft to exit the runways quickly after landing, thus increasing the rate of movements). Let's get on with it and join the rest of Australia in the 2lst century.
Lesley Smithers, Rivervale.
I'll bet ATC won't be too happy about that rant.
I actually think the do a pretty good job, considering.
I wonder what the acceptance rate is with both runways operational as opposed only to 06/24 (they do cross in the middle, you know) and how does that pans out against the bill for double-time for back-of-the-clock runway grooving?
The brutal fact is that two runways are only needed for a few hours a day and if the mines (and/or their flyers) were to spread their changeovers over the day, two runways would not be needed at all. Problem not only belongum WAC. The problem is well-known but unless the big miners do something about it, nothing is going to change anytime soon.
What exactly
is wrong with not working over Easter?