Stuart Bowden discovers more about the development plans of Australia’s gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

As tourism ‘honey-pot’ destinations go, Cairns and Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) rank high on the worldwide ‘must see’ list.

The Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage listed ancient rainforests are two principal reasons this tropical paradise is Australia’s second most visited region by international leisure travellers after Sydney.

In the circumstances then, it should come as no surprise to learn that Cairns International Airport is the country’s biggest regional gateway handling around four million passengers per annum.

Its traffic mix means that it is currently Australia’s fifth biggest international gateway and sixth largest domestic airport, with overseas visitors accounting for more than 40% of all passengers on its domestic routes.

Indeed operator, Cairns Port Authority (CPA), has so much faith in the continued tourism appeal of North Queensland that CEO, Neil Quinn, boldly predicts future traffic growth for the gateway, despite today’s high fuel prices and strong Australian dollar that may deter some airlines from launching new services to the airport.

And almost as if to prove the point, the airport recently unveiled plans to invest A$200 million on an extension to the Domestic Terminal to pave the way for this anticipated growth.

Creation of a more flexible facility is the keystone of the project, according to Quinn, who believes that a common use check-in hall and baggage handling area will significantly enhance operational efficiency.

“It was clear from the outset that simple logic should dictate the Domestic Terminal’s new design, allowing for uninterrupted passenger movement, whether arriving or departing the airport,” says Quinn.

“Common user technology will ensure smoother passenger flows, with airline check-in taking place at the southern end of the terminal, and all arrivals at the northern end, regardless of which airline a passenger flies with.

“Airport security was also high on our list of design priorities, with automated multi-view checked baggage screening machines, and progressive introduction of additional passenger screening facilities that will comply with government regulations.”

In addition to expanded passenger, security and baggage handling facilities – the terminal’s total floor area is to more than double to 43,000sqm – the new-look building will boast more airline office space and airline lounges on the upper floor. They will include a relocated Qantas Club lounge.

From the central terminal area, passengers will use covered walkways and ramps to walk to their flights, boarding aircraft by one of five planned new aerobridges.

Outside the terminal building, CPA is to increase the number of car parking spaces available from the existing 622 to almost 1,000 in a combination of short, long-term, secure and covered facilities.

Quinn admits that the main aim during the construction of the new-look terminal will be to cause the minimum of inconvenience and disruption to both passengers and airlines before its 2010 opening.

He believes that the expanded terminal will ensure that the airport is equipped to meet demand until at least 2015 and provide options for further future expansion.

Planning for the project began in 2004, when Cairns Port Authority launched a strategic development plan forecasting demand and future use of its resources for the coming 20 years.

Airlines offering direct international air services from Cairns today include Qantas (Tokyo), Jetstar Airways (Nagoya and Osaka), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), Air New Zealand (Auckland), Air Niugini (Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea) and Continental Micronesia (Guam). Jetstar also serves Singapore via Darwin.

Quinn is generally pleased with the mix of international routes, although he admits that he would like to add more to compensate for a downturn in the number of Japanese holidaymakers visiting North Queensland.

Indeed last year’s sharp decline in traffic was a big blow for the airport as the Japanese have traditionally accounted for more than 50% of all international arrivals in Cairns. The dip was not entirely unexpected, however, as the number of Japanese visitors to Australia has been falling since 2002.

“While there may be many drivers behind the decline in numbers, the key factor is considered to be the relative exchange rates,” says Quinn. “The strength of the dollar has made Australia much more expensive for Japanese travellers. And high fuel prices have led to fare increases and surcharges, which have also impacted on demand.”

He adds that CPA’s bid to attract new airlines hasn’t been helped by current airline economics, which he claims has led to many carriers favouring direct services to major capital city hubs in preference to regional airports like Cairns.

“The presence of higher yield business travellers and larger catchments to support outbound services ensures that, in most cases, the capital hub prevails in any comparative financial analysis undertaken by airlines,” says Quinn.

“The Cairns aviation business, being predominantly leisure based, is lower yield for airlines compared with other destinations, particularly for international services.”

Quinn, however, insists that in the case of Cairns, it is clear that there is “considerable passenger demand to visit the local tourism icons”.

“The number of visitors to Australia is increased where direct services provide the international customer with greater flexibility to plan itineraries, and have mono-destination holidays at major regional locations like TNQ,” states Quinn.

“The success of TNQ in growing a strong mono-destination Japanese market is a good case in point. It has been able to compete successfully for the time-limited Japanese tourist against destinations like Guam, Saipan, Hawaii, Korea and Thailand.”

Aviation services, says Quinn, are “critical” to the sustained development of the Tropical North Queensland region. “Not just for tourism, but also for other sectors of the local economy such as education, mining and health services,” declares Quinn.

“Currently there is A$10.2 billion worth of new economic project investments in the region – nearly A$7 billion specifically residential or resort accommodation. As a result, a number of significant new and emerging assets are re-shaping the region’s tourism industry, including the new Cityport South redevelopment at Cairns Seaport.”

Cairns Airport has adopted a collaborative approach to route development through involvement with other key stakeholders, among them the regional tourism promotion organisation, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and the state tourist authority, Tourism Queensland.

Quinn firmly believes there is room for additional carriers to provide access to Europe through key Asian hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong.

“As aircraft delivery schedules recover, and capacity and fleet availability increase, current forecasts predict that international passenger numbers will grow by 4% and domestic throughout by 5%,” says Quinn. “However, a new entrant to Cairns could make these figures substantially higher.”

Quinn is clearly upbeat about Cairns’ future as a major regional destination. His confidence in the pulling power of North Queensland is being boosted by the fact that he knows that the gateway will soon boast one of the best domestic terminals in Australia.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2008 Issue 1

Peta Tomlinson reports on the creation of Australia’s first residential community built around a runway.

A man who once dreamed he could fly has become Australia’s most innovative airport developer. Passionate about aviation since boyhood, Jeffrey Ruddell ended up not only buying his own airport, but transforming it so that others too could live the dream.

And what better place for a visionary residential ‘airpark’ than one of the world’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef.

Ruddell is the sole investor in the $65 million WAVE (Whitsunday Aviation Village Estate) project at Airlie Beach in tropical north Queensland, which is not surprising to those who know him. “I’ve always had a reputation for sticking my neck out,” admits the sugarcane farmer who was just 14 years old when he quit school to go and earn a living.

An airpark is a residential community built around a runway. The homes are usually designed to include an aircraft hangar. The concept is hugely popular in the US, where over 500 airparks have been developed, but Australian authorities have not been so keen. Despite grandiose proposals from various developers in various locations, WAVE is the only one yet to gain all the necessary government approvals.

And Ruddell is in little doubt that Australia’s first airpark will give the best in the US “a run for their money”.

“Through extensive research and working with expert engineers, we have designed an airpark that offers the ultimate lifestyle for those just as passionate about aviation as myself,” enthuses Ruddell. “Where else in the world can you stroll down the stairs of your architecturally designed tropical home, climb into your aircraft and within minutes reach famous island resorts and coral reefs?”

A Whitsunday local, Ruddell couldn’t wait to explore the Great Barrier Reef by air. By 16 he had obtained his private pilot’s licence, and nearly three decades later, his enthusiasm hasn’t paled.

“It’s just awesome to fly like a bird over this tremendous living thing that’s one of the world’s natural wonders. And it’s so spectacular,” he says. “Where else could you find 74 magic islands with the Great Barrier Reef on the doorstep?”

Though farming is his business – having bought the first in a series of cane farms when he was 28 – Ruddell had long flirted with the idea of owning an airfield. He “didn’t think it would come to anything”, but opportunity knocked when he went to his local Whitsunday Airport to see about doing some charter flights. The previous owner mentioned that the airport was for sale, prompting Ruddell to make what he maintains was the best move of his life.

Immediately he began growing the commercial precinct of the airport, investing $1.7 million in seven new buildings (including hangars) and related infrastructure. This allowed for the introduction of various new businesses including a flying school and helicopter sales, as well as expansion of existing businesses.

Tenants now include HeliBiz, Australia’s leading helicopter business selling 50 per year, and Air Whitsunday, with the largest fleet of sea planes in the southern hemisphere.



Ruddell admits that he had “heard about airparks”, but never seen one – and as a businessman he thought this could be the solution for the part of his 60-acre site that couldn’t be used for commercial aviation.

As part of his research, Ruddell visited over 50 airparks in the US and “incorporated the best bits of each” into his WAVE masterplan. And, as a pilot himself, he also knew what not to do – hence the decision to spend $3.4 million on a 15-metre wide sealed runway made of asphalt, not bitumen, for safer, quieter and smoother landings.

Each of the village’s 57 homes will have its own hangar with space for a rotary or fixed wing aircraft up to the size of a small jet. All are located on a dual taxi-way to eliminate the hassle of driving to the airport and finding parking.

It’s no coincidence that the architect tasked with designing the hangar homes is a pilot himself. Gary Hunt, like Ruddell, also understands the aviation culture and recognises how important it is for aircraft to be both secure and easily handled. He’s also the architect behind some of the Whitsundays’ most innovative developments, Peppers resorts and the new Port of Airlie marina precinct.

“Our design solution was a series of hangar homes uniquely tropical and reminiscent of traditional Queensland homes and values,” Hunt says. “The homes incorporate lots of shade and are designed to capture the sea breezes but are carefully thought out and user-friendly so the owner can safely hangar their aircraft.”

The village also has an eco-focus. Existing mature trees have been maintained and natural creeks enhanced, and noise minimised through double glazing, insulation and extensive landscape buffering. It’s a gated, self-sufficient community with its own supermarket, restaurants and shops.

Ruddell believes his decision to assemble the best planning and engineering teams possible played a key role in securing a permit for what he confidently says is Australia’s first purposebuilt airpark community (a few hangar homes do exist in rural areas, but these are add-ons to existing airfields).

And, there will be no more in the Whitsundays. WAVE’s permit allows only for 57 lots, and there is no scope for future airport development in the region.

WAVE’s approval came through in April, after three and a half years of planning and a significant investment. Ruddell withstood long periods of stress and offers from developers to buy his land, and was rewarded when a waiting list of buyers were quick to snap up many of the lots, which range from 1,000sqm to 1,400sqm and sell for $430,000-$780,000 (land only).

Owners can then either build their own designs within the covenant guidelines, or choose from four of Hunt’s designs.

Ruddell is a little coy when asked for details about buyers, admitting that most of his new neighbours are from other Australian states and “the kind of people who want a luxury holiday home with their plane or helicopter in the hangar and a boat in the marina.”

Being the creator of the village has entitled Ruddell to one very important perk – the right to select the best plot of land and home for himself. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

Asia-Pacific Airports 2007 Issue 1