ADL's $260m terminal shunned
 

ADL's $260m terminal shunned
Verity Edwards
December 07, 2005

THE boss of Adelaide airport has labelled "a disaster" a decision by the major domestic airlines to avoid using a new $260million terminal because of fuelling concerns.

John Howard opened the terminal two months ago but, apart from a small number of daily international flights, the facility has sat idle - complete with vacant shops and a near-empty carpark.

Qantas and Virgin Blue were due to begin using the terminal on October 18 but have been delayed by contamination of the underground fuel system with an anti-rust coating.

Despite results showing contamination levels were within international standards, Adelaide Airport Limited managing director Phil Baker said fuel supplier Exxon Mobil had ordered a new testing procedure.

Mr Baker said the airlines were free to move into the terminal but had refused to do so while the tests were under way.

He said there was only a 50 per cent chance the airlines would use the terminal before Christmas, and delays could extend to mid-January.

"It drives us nuts, really. We're sitting here, the innocent party," Mr Baker said. "It's a disaster, it's unnecessary."

But Exxon Mobil government affairs manager Alan Bailey said Shell and BP had also raised concerns about safety.

"There is a united view that these problems have yet to be resolved," Mr Bailey said.

"Our primary concern is the safety of the system ... to ensure that fuel being put into the system is not contaminated."

Tests are expected to take several days. But Mr Baker said he already considered the fuel lines safe.

"They could fuel up a Lear jet tomorrow and fly it around the world and I would get on it with my family," he said.

I'd love to see the size of those wingtip tanks!

:} :ouch:

As per usual this problem was known way in advance and as per usual in Oz the politicians control the opening ceremony months in advance.

The Project Managers should have their arses kicked for such an obvious and glaring oversight.

We love to make fun of sick, twisted and in-bred South Australians but these guys just make it too easy!!

Yes...it seems as though things only get half done over here, just look at the one-way Southern Expressway.

It's got to the point that the local paper is holding a competition on who can guess the opening date for domestic operations.

Even the design of the new terminal has a few people scratching their head. I have heard the following:

• Southern parking bays are just a bit too small for the Dash 8 to occupy them.
• Catering vans can not drive on the road under the terminal because the roof is too low.
• The low roof in the baggage area may be too low to carry the LD aircraft baggage containers on tugs through there.

Lets just hope that they sort out the problem soon...but I doubt we will be using the new terminal before the new year.

Cheers,

Capt EFIS.

This must be proof that Adelaide is indeed in the middle of the Rust Belt. ;)

"We love to make fun of sick, twisted and in-bred South Australians but these guys just make it too easy!!"

You guys obviously don't know that this is the view that the "non-eastern" states have of you guys!


;)

haha, we can laugh too

OzCabincrew.

Lame attempt girlie, very lame.

For a state that has a capital dubbed the "City of Churches" you guys sure have a strange way of showing it by murdering and burying bodies in strange places.

As previously mentioned on this website lets start with the Beaumont children, the Truro Murders, the Family, the Adelaide newreaders sons' kidnapping and murder, Snowtown etc etc.

For an oversized country town Adelaide sure has a strange undertone and an overabundance of sickoes.

Contaminated Fuel
 

What I would like to know is what happens to all the "contaminated " fuel that is in the pipeline after they test it each time. The pipe is at least 1.0 KM long and they have tested and cleaned it a number of times over the last two months.

Such a great design with much forward planning, NOT!!!!

Problem is the bays are so close to each other that tanker refuelling cannot be used. So what happens in the future if there are more hydrant fuel problems?? Tow the aircraft to remote bays to refuel and then tow em back!! What a stuff up it is..

Firelighters maybe? :O

Undoubtably this is majorly embarassing to the AAL people, but in my view its the contractor Hansen Yunckens fault and to a lesser extent Mobil.

Yet another case of trying to open too soon before the thing is actually finished. I feel sorry for all the workers in the new terminal shops that had to quit their old jobs before it was "scheduled" to open, but have now been without work for over 2 months.

oh and Dambuster: "For an oversized country town Adelaide sure has a strange undertone and an overabundance of sickoes."

Don't diagree with you mate! There are some fair weirdo's over here. You forgot another bizarre killing- A director of correctional services was shot dead when a mentally ill guy came up in a lift to their floor and shot the first person he saw. Oh then there was that Myers worker who was shot by a disgruntled ex just before last Christmas.....while she was selling perfume to a customer. Lovely. :\

What with all the things that have happened in Adelaide I might have to move elsewhere!

I know! how 'bout Sydney. Redfern is nice im told. Qantas parked a few planes there and the locals painted them for em! Must be a nice place! Or how bout Bankstown! Or maybe down in the south west, be nice to get out of town. I could even go for a swim and surf down at Cronulla (as long as I'm not of middle eastern appearance)

I could spout the same drivel about Melbourne, Brisbane, just about anywhere in the world but then we all think that where we live/grew up is the best. Can't be bothered.

Most of the terminals of similar design (ie lots of gates together) around the world have no room between parked aircraft for trucks.

Why are you guys wasting time posting on here? You're obviously experts! Go and fix it!

Tag

P.S Whats the best thing to come out of Melbourne and Sydney? The road to Adelaide

Victorians are proof Tasmanians can swim Blah Blah Blah

• Southern parking bays are just a bit too small for the Dash 8 to occupy them.
• Catering vans can not drive on the road under the terminal because the roof is too low.
• The low roof in the baggage area may be too low to carry the LD aircraft baggage containers on tugs through there.
• The bays are so close to each other that tanker refuelling cannot be used.

It sounds like a major stuff up by the design architects and their advisors.
How is it going to be fixed? Apart from ripping down some of the existing structures, and re-building them at the expense of the designers, which I doubt they could afford.

Are the shop owners covered for financial compensation for loss of revenue?

Gee. Theses South Australians get very touchy don't they.:rolleyes:

I wonder where Hansen and Yunken, and Mobil exxon, and anyone else who signed off on the design work, came from.

Adelaide? Or maybe one of the other Australian cities.

I wonder if the design concepts are unique to this airport or are they an extensioning of world practices as they have evolved.

Whomever is responsible for the mess deserves a right royal bollocking, but to suggest that this is in someway related to Adelaide's percieved inadequacies, is really drawing a long bow.

Grow up guys. All cities have their pro's and con's. This city slagging does nothing other than demonstrate the small minded immaturity of the writers.

TO

Dash's weren't going to be using these bays when the lines were marked. They're just going to have to re mark them. Damn!

Catering vans use the tarmac road behind the aircraft in other places. It's probably safer doing it that way as they have to access the rear of the aircraft so coming from the front of the aircraft past the wings to the rear would be hard. Its easier to give the whole terminal a miss and just drive straight up to the aircraft. Even if you have to use the front doors.

Rubbish! I've seen a ULD on the back of a Dolly being driven around under there. They are using it for Intl flights.

As Tag wrote, thats the same at most other (busier) terminals around the world.

Sorry to let the facts get in the way of a good story!

Tixy

So they're all just unfounded rumours then?

Why the delay, apart from the fuel problem, which shouldn't be a problem if the aircraft can be tanker fuelled?

If I were a cynic I would say that there is no incentive for the airlines to push to move in because as soon as they do their user charges are going to go up.

I don't know what the contractual arrangements with Adelaide airport are but I would guess that whilst the old terminal is in use the fees are significantly less.

I gather the airlines were offered the use of the new terminal, but on the proviso that if tanker refueling was to be carried out, any aircraft would have to be pushed back onto the taxiways for refuelling. Can you imagine the delays that would have caused!!

Ok i'll bite.

No one here has said that they can!!! They can't because the bays are too close together!!!! Just like EVERY other terminal with a hydrant instalation! Do you get it now?

"For a state that has a capital dubbed the "City of Churches" you guys sure have a strange way of showing it by murdering and burying bodies in strange places."

Dambuster, and you say my effort was lame! hahaha. I've seen enough wierdos come out of Sydney to last me a lifetime! give me the Adelaide wierdos anytime!

Oz