The airport maintains a conjoined international and domestic terminal. The major domestic airlines that serve the airport are Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways, all who are currently running flights on the main route to Melbourne Airport. At present, all the airlines operating at the airport utilise narrow-body aircraft. The airport plays a strategic role due to its location – Skytraders conducts regular flights to Antarctica on behalf of the Australian Antarctic Division using an Airbus A319. Although the airport has not had a regular scheduled international passenger service since 1998 (to Christchurch, New Zealand), the airport maintains customs and immigration facilities for aircraft entering the country.
Hobart International Airport was opened 1956, when a review found the nearby Cambridge Aerodrome was unsuitable for Hobart's future air transport needs. Occupying approximately 565 hectares (1,400 acres) of land, the airport is sited on a narrow peninsula, take-off and landing are inevitably directed over bodies of water regardless of approach/departure direction. This region-especially that immediately surrounding the Airport, remains largely unpopulated which enables the airport to operate curfew-free services.
History
Beginning
Prior to the existence of the airport, the region was served by Cambridge Airport,[5] a small airport located close to the existing site. As air travel became more frequent and the number of flights increased, it was clear that Cambridge airport was only suitable for light aircraft.In June 1948, Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced the approval for construction of a new AU£760,000 airport at Llanherne. With Australia's continual interest in Antarctica, it was believed the southern-most airport of Australia would serve as an ideal base for heavy aircraft serving the region. Hobart Airport was commissioned in 1956 as the primary regular public transport airport. It was initially named Llanherne Airport, after the property on which it was built, but the name has since fallen into disuse. In its first full year of operation, the airport processed 120,086 passengers and 11,724 tonnes of freight, ranking fifth in Australia. By 1957, the airport's infrastructure comprised a small terminal building which remains at the southeastern end of the current terminal, two freight hangars, fuel depot, timber weather station, and the airport administration office and works compound. In 1964, the Federal Government upgraded and lengthened the runway to cater for jet aircraft. The runway was extended again in 1985 to cater for large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Antonov 124 (albeit to a limited operating range). The current domestic terminal building was officially opened in April 1976 and the international terminal building opened in 1986. The Federal Government corporatised the airport in January 1988 with the creation of the Federal Airports Corporation.
Privatisation
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| Virgin Blue & Jetstar jets on the Taxiway |
On 11 June 1998, the airport was privatised on a 99-year lease, being purchased by Hobart International Airport Pty Ltd, a Tasmanian Government-owned company operated by the Hobart Ports Corporation. In 2004, the domestic terminal was redeveloped for the first time in its 30-year history. This development involved modernising the terminal, moving the retail shops to within the security screening area, realignment of the car park and moving the car rental facilities to new building in the car park. During 2005, Hobart Airport experienced record annual passenger numbers and it was then decided to bring forward plans to upgrade the seating capacity of the airport. This work involved expanding the domestic terminal building over the tarmac by three metres to provide more departure lounge space.
During December 2007, the Tasmanian Government sold the Tasmanian Ports Corporation-owned subsidiary for A$350 million to the Tasmanian Gateway Consortium, a private consortium made up of Macquarie Capital (one of Macquarie Group's infrastructure funds) and Tasmania's public sector superannuation fund, the Retirement Benefits Fund. The sale was in line with other state capital airport sell-offs, and was the last capital airport remaining in government control.
Terminals
The combined check-in Area
Hobart Airport has two passenger terminals. During 2007 the two terminals were connected in a 15 million dollar development to meet new federal security laws that requires all checked luggage to be X-rayed. In 2008, the airport received a commendation for public architecture at the Tasmanian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects, for the new terminal upgrade. The airport currently maintains a combined international, domestic and general aviation apron. Provisions have been made to create a dedicated general aviation apron to the south of the one currently in use.
Domestic Terminal
The current Domestic Terminal was opened in 1976, and has been expanded several times since then.[5] All airlines share the same check in and departure area in the centre of the building. The south-eastern end of the building contains a Qantas Club and serves as the Qantas and Jetstar Airways arrivals area while the north-western international end of the building is used by Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways Australia. The domestic apron has four parking bays for narrow-body (Boeing 737/Airbus A320-sized) aircraft, overlaid by two positions for small wide-body (Boeing 767-sized) aircraft.
International Terminal
The International Terminal was opened in 1983 to facilitate Trans-Tasman air traffic. During 1985 the terminal was upgraded along with the runway to provide limited 747 operations. There have been no regular international flights served by the airport since 1998,when Air New Zealand suspended operations to Christchurch, however the operators of the airport have expressed an interest in resuming international flights in the future. At present the Terminal is used by Virgin Blue and Tiger Airways for domestic arrivals, Skytraders for flights to Antarctica and occasional charter airline flights, there being two such flights, by First Choice Airways, in 2009. The terminal's apron has a single wide-body parking bay overlapping two narrow-body bays. This bay is able to accommodate large wide-body aircraft up to and including Boeing 747-400 and 777–200. The international Terminal's baggage carousel and apron are currently used for domestic operations as well as Skytraders' operations.
Freight
Terminal Cafe
There are two domestic freight areas operating at the airport, catering for Australian air Express, Toll Air and Virgin Australia. The Australian air Express facility is located south of the Domestic terminal. The facility includes two buildings on a total area of approximately 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft), including the freight apron area. Australian air Express uses dedicated jet freight aircraft. In January 2007, Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia) and Toll Air opened a 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) dedicated freight facility to the north of the international terminal. Currently this new freight area has no dedicated apron of its own, but rather makes use of the cargo holds of the passenger aircraft already serving the airport. The operators of the airport have expressed interest in having all the freight handled from this new northern area, however, due to uncertainty with the Tasmanian freight market, it is unknown when this may occur.
General aviation
Hobart Airport is currently served by Tasair, Rotor lift and Sky Trek. The majority of Hobart's general aviation traffic makes use of the nearby Cambridge Aerodrome, which was sold in 1999 on the condition that it remain an airport until 2004. Since that date, Hobart Airport has made plans for a large expansion catering for general aviation should the owners of Cambridge Aerodrome decide to use the land for other purposes. This expansion would include a new runway and a general aviation apron located south of the existing Domestic Terminal.
Runway
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| A Qantas Boeing 767–300 at Hobart Airport |
Hobart Airport has one runway, 12/30, which is aligned north–west to south–east, is 2,251 metres (7,385 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide. The high strength flexible runway was constructed with an asphaltic concrete surface and is adequate for unrestricted operations up to and including Boeing 767 and Airbus A300 aircraft. Boeing 777/747 aircraft can operate with a weight restriction. The current runway length is adequate for direct flights to New Zealand, Cairns, Perth, Singapore and Jakarta. For longer range operations, a weight limit is imposed for aircraft landing and on take off. The runway conforms to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's standards.
Hobart International Airport Pty Ltd has announced detailed plans for the airport within its new master plan until 2029. Currently aircraft landing on the runway have to taxi along the runway and proceed to the parking apron via taxiways in the middle of the runway. This has both capacity and safety implications for the airport, as the runway cannot be used whilst an aircraft is taxiing on the runway. In the coming years, the airport plans on providing a parallel taxiway to the full length of runway.When complete, aircraft landing on the Runway can proceed to the end of the runway and exit via the parallel taxiway. This would allow for greater utilization of the existing runway.
The landing length required at Hobart for a Boeing 747 at maximum operational landing weight is 2,400 metres (7,900 ft), a minimum runway extension of 150 metres (490 ft) would be beneficial to the operation of the airport. With either end of the runway surrounded by roads, the possibility for extending the runway is limited; however, a geometric exercise was undertaken to determine the possible runway extension in the future. This exercise indicated the potential to extend the runway to 2,530 metres (8,300 ft), by 90 metres (300 ft) meters to the north and 190 metres (620 ft) to the south – an extension of approximately 280 metres (920 ft) meters. However, unless future air traffic demands it, there are no immediate plans to extend the runway.
The airport has purchased land from the Tasmanian Government in the southern part of the airport for future development of further operational facilities. This additional area would allow for a short runway for general aviation aircraft. The purchase would allow a runway either parallel to the main runway along the southern end of the eastern boundary of the airport, or a cross runway towards the southern end of the main runway. The alternative second runway would provide an opportunity to improve the operational management of the lighter categories of aircraft. However, these capabilities will most likely be developed in the relatively distant future. The second runway is not likely to be developed any time soon, because the existing runway is presently under-utilised.
Other facilities
Hotel
In December 2005, prominent Hobart developer Ali Sultan proposed a four star, 60-room hotel/motel for the airport. The hotel, named the Quality Hotel Hobart Airport, was opened on 1 December 2008. The hotel comprises 78 rooms, a restaurant/café and a number of conference and meeting spaces. The hotel employs 25 people.
Big box development
Early in 2006, the airport announced plans to build a Direct Factory Outlet just east of Holyman Avenue. The complex was originally planned to cover an area of 18,000 square metres (190,000 sq ft), which would have made it the largest of its kind in Australia. Austexx, a Melbourne-based company, will be leasing the site and is the main investor in the 100 million dollar project.
The development would also provide car parking for over 2,000 cars and road works will most likely be conducted on Holyman Avenue to ensure that traffic flow into the airport itself is not affected. While the Tasmanian Government has thrown its support into the project and believes the Direct Factory Outlet will drive retail trade growth, the Hobart City Council and a large amount of retail shop owners in the Hobart Central Business District have expressed fear of losing business. Concern was also expressed about the big box being built on commonwealth land and therefore escaping the state planning laws.
During April 2007, the Hobart Airport's public relations firm confirmed they had submitted plans of the project ('including rejections') to the Federal Government for assessment. When Federal Transport Minister Warren Truss assessed the project, he gave approval on condition the outlet centre was cut by almost half to 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft), prompting Austexx to walk away from the proposal. However, in February 2008, Austexx' chief executive Geoff Porz confirmed the Direct Factory Outlet and Homemaker Hub was back on, going as far as to say that Hobart was "grossly under-supplied with shopping facilities".
Airlines and destinations
Four passenger airlines currently operate regular flights from Hobart to seven destinations in the southern and eastern states of Australia. One cargo airline also operates from the airport and a specialist carrier operates to the Australian Antarctic Territory during summer.
Airlines Destinations Terminal
Australian air Express (cargo) Launceston, Melbourne Australian air Express apron
Jetstar Airways Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney Domestic
Qantas Melbourne, Sydney
Seasonal: Brisbane Domestic
Skytraders Antarctica-Casey Station International
Tasair Burnie, Devonport Tasair terminal
Virgin Australia Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney Domestic
Previous Airlines to fly from the airport include Ansett Australia, Compass Airlines and Air New Zealand.
Jetstar is considering expanding its services to Hobart in the future. Possible new routes include Adelaide and Perth or a return of a direct New Zealand service.
Traffic and statistics
The tables in the left column list passenger movements for competed routes out of Hobart Airport. For fiscal year 2007–08, the Hobart to Brisbane route recorded 152,400 passenger movements. The table in the right column lists regular scheduled passenger and aircraft movements for Hobart Airport.
Rank Airport Passengers (thousands) % Change
Busiest domestic routes
(Year ending September 2010)
1 Melbourne Airport 1,210.2 0.1
2 Sydney Airport 494.0 2.1
Rank Airport Passengers (Thousands) % Change
Busiest domestic routes
(For September 2010)
1 Melbourne Airport 100.9 4.3
2 Sydney Airport 41.3 2.8
Year Passenger movements Aircraft movements
Annual passenger statistic
1998–99 860,240 9,697
1999–00 908,647 10,776
2000–01 973,922 15,205
2001–02 957,611 12,266
2002–03 1,009,605 11,444
2003–04 1,225,645 12,729
2004–05 1,522,838 15,889
2005–06 1,605,978 13,764
2006–07 1,629,417 12,762
2007–08 1,758,241 13,778
2008–09 1,869,262 14,285
2009–10 1,855,849 14,380
Ground transport
Hobart Airport in relation to Hobart
Hobart Airport has a car park that caters for short, medium or long term parking. There is also a well-serviced taxi rank and limousine service operating at the airport. There are numerous car rental operators at the airport, these include Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Thrifty, Red Spot, Bargain Car Rentals, Rent For Less, Britz Maui, Tasmanian Camper Van Rentals and Cruisin Tasmania. Public transport has not been a high use alternative to private transport for those travelling to and from the airport.[5] There is a bus service that operates between the Hobart Central Business District and the airport for every departure. The shuttle departs outside the terminal after the arrival of every flight transferring passengers to the city. The primary operator for bus services is Tasmanian Redline Coaches.
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