Merged: The trials and tribulation of Bankstown Airport
 

On tonight's news the Labour Party announced their policy was to close YSBK and turn it into an Industrial park.

They just have no ideal. More than half of it is already that and what about all the union members who will lose their aviation jobs if this happens.

I had seriously thought of voting Labour instead of Abbot, but why would I bother

dhavillandpilot,


Any chance of a link for the rest of us literate people to read about that?

It was on the abc 1730 news announced as policy

The announcement was in Luke Foley's bookface feed. I call BS, it looks like having something to throw the 24 hour news cycle.

Move GA ops to Badgerys Creek? I can see that working our just great ...:ugh:

Beware of the snakes in the grass..

Opposition leader Luke Foley to deliver NSW budget reply - 9news.com.au

BANKSTOWN AIRPORT’S CEO 100% CORRECT
 

In the June issue of AVIATOR Magazine, the CEO of Bankstown Airport, Colin Grove, has been quoted as follows:

Never have truer words been spoken!

Of course, there are many who will put some of the blame on the owners of Bankstown Airport but that blame has to go back to John Anderson and the people in the Department of Transport at that time for the way they sold-off Bankstown Airport.

What’s more to the point is that if CASA went ahead with reforming the rules so they were as efficient as those in other leading aviation countries, such as the USA and Canada, we would not have some of the problems at Bankstown.

Last time I walked around Bankstown Airport many of the hangar doors were chained and the hangars themselves were being used just to store junk inside and I am told by everyone that it’s getting worse.

It’s interesting that Warren Truss makes no statements about the dire straits the industry is in and in an address by CASA Director of Aviation Safety, Mark Skidmore, at the AOPA gathering at Bankstown Airport last Saturday (20 June), once again there was no mention of removing every unnecessary cost.

A good start would be for Warren Truss to put on an advisor who clearly understands the dismal situation our general aviation industry is in. Over the years I have recommended some capable people for the role of Aviation Advisor but not one has ever been interviewed.

I see no changes at all on the horizon with Mr Truss as Minister and Mr Mrdak as Head of the Department. Does anyone have a more positive view?

Is not this Mr Luke Foley a member of the NSW Labor Party?

Is this the same Mr Foley who wants the 'Uber' 'taxy industry' to be made legal, because it is here...?
(Radio 2GB this morning)

Are the NSW Labor Party the ones 'in power'..??


Is not YSBK still the property, leased out / administered by the Federal Govt?

According to the terms of the leases when the airports were 'sold off', they are required to be run as AIRPORTS for the term of the lease...??

Yes..??

Cheers :rolleyes:

Resume normal viewing.......:ugh:

Dick,

For once I fully support what you have written. I started out at Bankstown in the mid 80's when the place was full of life. Recently I went back there on a fine Saturday afternoon and in the 30 mins I was there I saw only 2 aicraft arrive and depart. Also noticed multiple buldings with for lease signs on them.
It's time for the government and CASA to act before it's to late.

Dick,

I too completely agree with you.

Any negativity will reduce investment in my opinion and therefore the place stalls as an airport..

I completely agree. Aviation is a long neglected portfolio that doesn't have any political clout.

YSBK is a sad shadow of its former self. I tried to get a coffee one recent afternoon about 2.30pm but was told the shop regularly closes early as there is usually no one around. Camden and Wedderburn is where some of the activity has moved.

Quite a contrast to the more vibrant GA and RA scene in NZ.

PG

It was Keating's lot who decided to flog off leases to run the airports. It was Howard's lot who awarded those leases to property developers interested only in land banks close to capital cities. So both sides of politics are to blame and the obvious outcome, GA being gouged to within an inch of its life, was inevitable.

We have Sussan Ley who was a CPL and ATC and is now ... Minister for Sport. She would be ideal to be put in a position of influence for aviation but seeing as they haven't stuck to a single word of their pre-election aviation policy, don't expect anything from this government.

The tilt up concrete monstrosities and traffic jams at Jandakot get worse every day and are a testament to the greed of the developers and Peter Garrett's approval for them to bulldoze hundreds of hectares of pristine bush.

:mad::mad:

I tried to discuss aviation policy with Sussan Ley about 12-18 months ago.

I got the feeling she was very, VERY uncomfortable and didn't want to have the discussion :*

When a 172 costs nearly $400 an hour dual and the the age of most students are facing the reality of half a million dollars to buy a studio apartment in Sydney is it any wonder that students have evaporated. The cost to reward ratio is not there.

It beggars belief. With 200,000+ new pilots estimated to service Asia by 2035 the government should be investing in long term GA training, in a metropolitan area, and a viable industry model. Isn't one of our main exports education? We should embrace what neglected infrastructure remains and improve upon it.

Like it or not the future of training establishments lies within regional areas. In Victoria you only have to look at the likes of Mangalore and Bendigo so see where things are headed. Metro property prices are destroying our realestate markets for locals and this is making the developers go crazy about purchasing big "vacant" chunks of land. The Chinese all want NEW places to live and 10+ year old houses and apartments simply aren't good enough for them.

"Is not YSBK still the property, leased out / administered by the Federal Govt?

According to the terms of the leases when the airports were 'sold off', they are required to be run as AIRPORTS for the term of the lease...??

errr??? s'cus me,

Sorry FSO, the airports act I believe your alluding to??

Hoxton Park was a federal Airport unless I'm mistaken? Gone like a fart in a thunderstorm.

Political party donations, retirement jobs for Politicians and senior Bureaucrats grease a lot of wheels.

You sure the airports act will protect Secondary Airports?

It is after all billions of $$$ of green field vacant land we are talking about, that sort of money buys a lot of corruption..oops sorry political influence.

How many other requirements of the "Act" relating to ownership have been conveniently swept under the table, Money talks!!!

Good sterotyping rant but they're not allowed to buy anything that isn't new under the FIRB rules....

Clare


Susan Ley is the Minister for Health not Sport.

Capt Cynical

It's Sussan ;-)

...and I am pretty sure she's assistant minister for health.

...wouldn't it be nice if she was parl sec for Aviation?