ad5 wrote:Aidan wrote:
Adelaide doesn't need a replacement airport. We have plenty of terminal capacity, and when we need more, we can reopen the old domestic terminal. And if we ever need an order of magnitude more terminal capacity, we can extend the terminal along to where the old domestic terminal is, then loop it back towards Ikea! Nor is runway capacity an issue - in the unlikely event of it ever becoming a problem, we could open another airport Up North or near Murray Bridge, and Jetstar would be sure to transfer some of their flights there. But it will be a long time, if ever, before the runway reaches capacity.
The Adelaide Airport Master plan says the current runways (not terminal) will reach capacity in 2025. Thats not too far away, given that it takes years of planning and development to solve such a problem.
Actually it says the opposite: "the anticipated air traffic can more than adequately be accommodated within the year 2025 horizon."
Sure there are periods of the day when its quiet, but its about getting as many planes in and out during peak hours (e.g early morning and evening).
In the unlikely event that the runway reaches capacity at these times, landing fees could be adjusted to encourage airlines to adjust their schedules to land here at less busy times.
The current land doesn't lend too well for a decent 2nd parallel runway. Also, one significant thing has changed over the past 10 years in Adelaide. Inner metro land value, highlighted by Rann's urban density plan. There are few cities in the world that have an airport 5km from the CBD for this very reason. Sure its convenient for travellers, but its not the best use of such valuable land.
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But Adelaide Airport is actually the source of a lot of the area's land value. Being near the airport is important for many businesses, particularly in high tech industries. These businesses require a very large catchment area (to get the best workers) and proximity to an airport (preferably a major one). Adelaide's geography is not conducive to the formation of edge cities, so it would be very difficult to create conditions as advantageous as what we currently have.
The last terminal served us for 20 years, 5-7 years too long in my opinion, as it was long over due to be replaced. I read that it was expected the current terminal (even with extensions) will last a similar period, perhaps even shorter (15 years). Given the runway capacity reaching capacity in 2025 and the terminal life expiring there abouts (2020-2025), im sure these two factors alligning is no coincedence and there will be a good case for relocating the airport in around 2020-2025. An accouncement and planning for such a move would have to happen around 2013-2018.
You seem to be under the strange misapprehension that replacing an airport is the only option you have when it reaches capacity. But supplementing it is likely to be far more practical. And why would the terminal life expire so soon? I know enough about structural engineering to know that this structure was built to last! It may reach capacity in 2020-2025, but that's not a problem because it can be extended or supplemented.
And are you sure the last terminal served us for 20 years? I first came to Adelaide twenty years ago, and it didn't look new then!