Get on with the second airport, says IATA chief

Get on with the second airport, says IATA chief
By admin


The head of aviation’s governing body has told procrastinating politicians to get on with the job of selecting a second airport for Sydney.

A failure to act now will lead to “missed opportunities”, said Tony Tyler, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Addressing the Aviation Press Club in Sydney yesterday, Tyler also urged the government to scrap the Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) as he argued there was more to gain from removing the tax than keeping it in place.

Tyler said “at some point” Sydney Airport would reach maximum capacity.

“We have two decades to select a site, sort out all the necessary approvals, acquire land, upgrade surface transport, get the airport built and, of course, figure out how to pay for it all,” he said. “That is not a lot of time for such a mammoth and important project.

“Australia needs to do business with Asia. But that’s going to be difficult if it does not have the airport hub capacity to facilitate the needed connectivity.

“Further procrastination will only lead to missed opportunities for economic growth. The challenge is to break out of the endless cycle of studies, make a decision and get on with it.”

Turning to the PMC, Tyler said “economic damage” was being done by the tax, which increased to $55 per passenger last year. The amount collected now exceeds the funding of Australia’s border agencies, the original intention.

“The PMC is effectively a tax that adds about 3.5% to the cost of travel from Australia,” he said. “It if were removed we would expect a 2.5% boost to traffic. That would add $1.7 billion to the Australian economy and generate some 17,000 jobs. So the economy has more to gain from removing the PMC than from keeping it in place.”

Latest News

  • Cruise

P&O rescues Rotary volunteers after collapse of Air Vanuatu

P&O Cruises Australia has answered a plea for help from a group of young Australian Rotary volunteers, stranded in Vanuatu following the collapse of Air Vanuatu. The students, many of them teenagers from Albury, NSW, were volunteering for a youth project run by the Hive Rotary Club Australia when the airline abruptly cancelled all flights, […]

  • Destinations

Intrepid continues expansions with launch of first DMC in Jordan

Intrepid has increased its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first destination management company in Jordan. Based in Amman, the local team will operate Intrepid’s range of nine experiential small group tours in Jordan from this summer, with a view to expanding the range for 2025 and beyond. Zina Bencheikh, managing […]

  • Appointments

Minor hotels appoints Puneet Dhawan to key Asia role

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report […]

  • Appointments

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal appoint Evon Ler to director of sales, Asia

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group have announced that Evon Ler will join them in the new role of director of sales, Asia. She will work closely with Tony Archbold (VP, Sales, APAC, Crystal) and Susan Haberle (VP, Sales & Partnerships, APAC, A&K) with trade support across the region. Ler comes to the A&K family with more […]