News & Discussion: Adelaide Airport & Airlines

[Wayno]

I telephoned Air Asia X as I have flights booked this side of xmas and this news is worrying.

The AAX help desk has not been told of dates - AAX will email impacted customers once dates are published.

sigh...

[Stefan P]

Evening all,

AirAsia X is cancelling Kuala Lumpur – Adelaide service, where it currently operates 4 weekly flights. Last flight is scheduled on 25JAN15.

D7246 KUL2355 – 0945+1ADL 330 x247
D7247 ADL1100 – 1620KUL 330 x135

Note that operational days vary during the month of January 2015.

\

Info from: http://airlineroute.net/2014/12/05/d7-adl-jan15/

[ghs]

Disappointing however on the positive side the Australian dollar is coming down fairly quickly which will result in
more international students in Adelaide.

I think China Southern is a good chance of starting up here in Adelaide over the next year or 2.

[Wayno]

Last Air Asia X flight is Jan 25 (departure). People with bookings beyond will receive option of refund/re-route, etc.

[rev]

Any reason given why they are pulling out?

[ghs]

Obviously not enough bums on seats rev.

If you look at the cost of Air Asia flights, they are so cheap that it would not be viable to have
flights with only 50% - 60% of the seats taken.

[Ho Really]

Any reason given why they are pulling out?

From Australian Business Traveller 6/12/2014:

Cuts to Australian flights have been on the cards since last month, when the airline's Australian losses were revealed as being A$42 million across the July-September quarter.

Overall AirAsia X posted a net loss of $72.5 million in that same quarter – its fourth straight quarterly loss – compared to a slim $9 million profit in the same period during 2013, due to increased operating expenses, finance costs and foreign exchange losses.

"Capacity allocation in 2015 will see a drop in the number of flights to Australia" the airline said at the time, and has now confirmed the City of Churches is for the chop.

“The Kuala Lumpur-Adelaide route unfortunately hasn’t been profitable and in light of difficult trading conditions for us in Australia we’ve had to make this decision,"AirAsia X Commercial Manager for Australia Stuart Myerscough told AAP.

Passengers booked onto the Adelaide-KL flights past January 25 "are being contacted in regards to their options for travel arrangements made for after that date."

AirAsia will continue flying to Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Perth and Darwin.

...and from The Australian the day before (5/12/2014):

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said yesterday there had been rumours of the move to cut direct Adelaide flights from January in recent days.

He understood executives were going to come out to Australia for a full review of their operations next week.

“Since Malaysia Airlines lost their two planes they had a big hit on customer numbers, the government of Malaysia has thrown in $2 billion to help rescue Malaysia (Airlines) and what Malaysia Airlines has done is undercut everyone else in the marketplace, which has had a direct impact on AirAsia X,” he said.

“It’s not reflective of what’s happening in Adelaide, it’s happening in Sydney, it’s happening in Perth, it’s happening on their long-haul flights to China as well.”

Cheers

[Wayno]

RFDS to get aeromedical base at Adelaide Airport

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-15/r ... rt/5968012

A $13 million aeromedical base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) including a new medical precinct where all members of retrieval services will eventually be based will be built at Adelaide Airport.

RFDS chief executive John Lynch said the base would include a six-aircraft hangar, an enhanced patient care facility with private bays and a corporate office.

"We'll have greater access and facilities for our storage, our maintenance, our response times and our access," Mr Lynch said.

"Once MedStar join us in the precinct, then we've got every right to believe that our capacity and our service will be delivered in a more timely fashion."

He said the RFDS would take delivery of an extra aircraft in May next year.

Health Minister Jack Snelling said the new precinct for all medical retrievals meant the quality of health care for regional South Australians would be the same as for those living in Adelaide.

He said the Ambulance Service's Medstar team would relocate to Adelaide Airport, a move that would save seven to nine minutes of travel time for medical teams.

"It's going to bring together teams who are responsible for delivering some of the most important health care in our state, making sure that South Australians who live in regional areas can be confident they are going to get the health care they need," Mr Snelling said.

"We've seen some very nasty incidents happen in regional South Australia in recent weeks and we've relied on the services of both MedStar and the Royal Flying Doctor Services to ensure that people who are seriously injured or ill can be evacuated and brought to Adelaide to get the health care they need."

Preparation for construction of the facility has started at the greenfields site adjacent the airport's main runway.

It is expected to open in mid-2016.

[jimbly]

QantasLink on its way to Whyalla

QantasLink has officially announced it will start flying to Whyalla next year.

QantasLink will offer a double daily service on its 50-seat Q300 aircraft from April 13, 2015, providing 1300 seats per week or more than 65,000 seats a year between Whyalla and Adelaide.
QantasLink chief executive officer John Gissing said the new route would expand business and tourism opportunities for the Whyalla community.
"We have great confidence in the Whyalla market and we're really looking forward to starting services in April next year," Mr Gissing said.
Whyalla City Council mayor Jim Pollock said the new service would create more opportunities for people to visit, experience and do business in Whyalla.
"Council's $3 million airport upgrade is a testament to our commitment to making Whyalla a great place to live, work and invest," Mr Pollock said.
"Council welcomes and looks forward to QantasLink's new service which will help increase and promote business and tourism opportunities in the city and region."
To celebrate the launch QantasLink is offering a launch sale $79 one way on sale until December 23 for travel between April 13, 2015 and October 11, 2015.

http://www.whyallanewsonline.com.au/sto ... lla/?cs=12

[Stefan P]

QantasLink on its way to Whyalla

QantasLink has officially announced it will start flying to Whyalla next year.

QantasLink will offer a double daily service on its 50-seat Q300 aircraft from April 13, 2015, providing 1300 seats per week or more than 65,000 seats a year between Whyalla and Adelaide.
QantasLink chief executive officer John Gissing said the new route would expand business and tourism opportunities for the Whyalla community.
"We have great confidence in the Whyalla market and we're really looking forward to starting services in April next year," Mr Gissing said.
Whyalla City Council mayor Jim Pollock said the new service would create more opportunities for people to visit, experience and do business in Whyalla.
"Council's $3 million airport upgrade is a testament to our commitment to making Whyalla a great place to live, work and invest," Mr Pollock said.
"Council welcomes and looks forward to QantasLink's new service which will help increase and promote business and tourism opportunities in the city and region."
To celebrate the launch QantasLink is offering a launch sale $79 one way on sale until December 23 for travel between April 13, 2015 and October 11, 2015.

http://www.whyallanewsonline.com.au/sto ... lla/?cs=12

Here are the schedules for the Whyalla flights...

Monday- Friday
QF2071 Dep ADL 0720 Arr WYA 0810
QF2072 Dep WYA 0830 Arr ADL 0915

QF2069 Dep ADL 1625 Arr WYA 1715
QF2070 Dep WYA 1735 Arr ADL 1820

Saturday
QF2071 Dep ADL 0720 Arr WYA 0810
QF2072 Dep WYA 0830 Arr ADL 0915

Sunday
QF2067 Dep ADL 0730 Arr WYA 0820
QF2068 Dep WYA 0840 Arr ADL 0925

QF2069 Dep ADL 1625 Arr WYA 1715
QF2070 Dep WYA 1735 Arr ADL 1820

[Ho Really]

Anyone know why two consecutive flights aborted landings this morning? One was a Virgin Australia flight (not sure from Sydney or Brissy) and the following flight SIA SQ279 from Singapore. The Virgin flight was on the right approach but aborted the landing early and was already at a high altitude before it passed the CBD, put its nose up and went, while the SIA flight was all wrong, it overcooked a turn to line up with the approach somewhere in the north eastern suburbs and then tried correcting somewhere around Walkerville and was still too high. I thought a this stage just power up, but it continued [and may have tried to slowdown] and around the airport I heard it power up and aborted the landing. It then went back north and came round and landed without probs. I wonder if the smoke from the bushfire at Kersbrook had any bearing on the SIA failed approach.

Cheers

[Brucetiki]

Anyone know why two consecutive flights aborted landings this morning? One was a Virgin Australia flight (not sure from Sydney or Brissy) and the following flight SIA SQ279 from Singapore. The Virgin flight was on the right approach but aborted the landing early and was already at a high altitude before it passed the CBD, put its nose up and went, while the SIA flight was all wrong, it overcooked a turn to line up with the approach somewhere in the north eastern suburbs and then tried correcting somewhere around Walkerville and was still too high. I thought a this stage just power up, but it continued [and may have tried to slowdown] and around the airport I heard it power up and aborted the landing. It then went back north and came round and landed without probs. I wonder if the smoke from the bushfire at Kersbrook had any bearing on the SIA failed approach.

Cheers

I think you're spot on about the bushfires causing the SQ aborted landing? Tea Tree Gully is usually where planes turn in to land, and given how close that is to the fire, they possibly had to slightly alter their inbound route, causing the overcooking of the turn.

[Ben]

I saw a Jetstar flight do this yesterday. Was coming in and then over the brickworks area took off up again.

[jimbly]

Adelaide Airport most punctual Australian Airport

while Adelaide Airport, which had the highest percentage of on-time arrivals and departures of all Australian airports in the report, was seventh at 90.5 per cent.

Full article here....

http://australianaviation.com.au/2015/0 ... nctuality/

[PeFe]

From the 'Tiser

Adelaide Airport’s $1 billion expansion, featuring 250-room hotel and office complex, set for take off


ADELAIDE Airport will begin work on a major terminal expansion, a 250-room hotel and an office complex within five years after the Federal Government approved $1 billion of investment.

Adelaide Airport managing director Mark Young said planning for the three key projects would be progressed this year, with construction expected in the next two to five years.

“Terminal expansion is something that is required,” he said.

“We’ll do eight million passengers this year and the original terminal design was for something a little bit less than that.”



Adelaide Airport’s 30-year vision plan. Source: Adelaide Airport

“We are down to final detailed designs for the terminal expansion and will be commencing stakeholder negotiations very shortly.”

“For the hotel we believe the time is right — we’ll be putting it to market during the course of the year — looking for a developer and operator.”

The Government yesterday signed off on a 30-year masterplan for the airport, which forecasts $1bn to be spent in the next five years on major projects, including an expansion of the southern end of the main terminal.



The expansion plan shows an ultra-modern international airport. Source: Adelaide Airport

The master plan — a document produced every five years to guide airport development — forecasts an annual 3 per cent increase in aircraft movements over 20 years.

Other infrastructure projects planned for the next five years include an expansion of the international arrivals hall, additional international arrival gates, an expansion of the main security check point and more retail space and airline lounges.

In the longer term, a light rail corridor has been mooted, allowing for a possible future tram link to the city.



The buildings are state-of-the art. Source: Adelaide Airport

Annual passenger numbers are forecast to increase from 807,000 in 2013 to 2.81 million in 2034 for international flights, and from 6.1 million in 2014 to 14.1 million by 2034 for domestic flights.

However, there are no proposals to change the 11pm-6am curfew.

The master plan forms the part of the Airport’s 30-year vision which was released in October and includes a plan to triple the number of domestic and international terminal aerobridges by 2044, accommodating new-generation aircraft including the A380 and Dreamliner.



An overview of the planned expansion. Source: Adelaide Airport

“The approval of our master plan allows us to plan and commit to appropriate levels of infrastructure to stay ahead of our growth and maintain our reputation as one of Australia’s most modern airports,” Mr Young said.

“We’re confident we can bring our 30-year vision to life within the framework put in place by the master plan.”

Adelaide Airport is the state’s largest employer at a single site.

About 8500 people work within the airport precinct, and there are a further estimated 9000 jobs across the state associated with airport activity — a total of 17,500 jobs.

Mr Young expects this to grow to 37,500 jobs within the 20-year forecast.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 7187311641

There is also a video which I was unable to upload...