Investing $40m in the Port Hedland International Airport over the next five years, the PHIA Group of Companies’ strategic plan is to develop Port Hedland International Airport (PHIA) as a leading regional airport in the area of passenger and freight movements and customer satisfaction. Redeveloping and upgrading the airport, increasing passenger and freight traffic, increasing revenue opportunities and continually improving customer experience, are goals.
A key milestone in PHIA’s strategic plan; the 20-year Master Plan for the airport is underway. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of PHIA Operating Company, Mitchell Cameron, said, “PHIA is pleased to announce that on 29th August 2016 we appointed The Airport Group (TAG) to develop the Port Hedland International Airport Master Plan and Land Use Report.”
The goal of the Master Plan is to have a single, strategic, public document that provides a roadmap to guide future airport development in terms of the key aviation and non-aviation related activities for the site. Mitchell added, “TAG has market leading knowledge in the airport sector with experience advising more than 60 airports in every Australian State and Territory, as well as various locations in the Asia-Pacific region.”
The project programme estimates the Master Plan and Land Use Report for the Airport will be available by October 2017. The key objectives are to develop a Master Plan, considering;
Port Hedland International Airport is the ‘Gateway to the Pilbara’ providing the region, the Pilbara and Town of Port Hedland with international, interstate, intrastate air services;
- to seek key stakeholder support, including the Airlines, community, industry and government;
- an implementation plan to meet future capacity to satisfy forecast air traffic demand to 2036;
- allocation of land based on highest and best use principles and address external developments that may impact on the future requirements of the airport;
- IATA standards and alignment of terminal facilities to achieve the optimal spatial outcome;
- the Port Hedland International Airport as a major contributor to the regional economy and to balance economic benefit, social and environmental impact, and;
- appropriate risk management processes and adhere to legislative requirements.
“Consultation with the stakeholders will be critical to gauging the widest possible intelligence about the future influencers.” Mitchell said. The consultation processes will be deep-level engagement across sectors and the Port Hedland International Airport Community Liaison Group, with initial consultations commencing this month. The Airport invites regional stakeholder representatives to contact the airport to contribute to consultative processes.