Brisbane's Archerfield Airport is scheduled to get $17.5 million worth of infrastructure upgrades under a preliminary draft Major Development Plan known as Project AIM.
Project AIM (Airside Infrastructure Modernisation) has been included in Archerfield Airport Corporation's (AAC) master plans since 2000 and works are now expected to start in late 2019 or early 2020.
Among the upgrades AAC propose are:
- Lengthening and strengthening of runway 10L/28R and taxiways
- Replacing the ground lighting system with LED technology
- Bringing runways and taxiways up to modern CASA standards
- Creating Runway End Safety Areas (RESA) for the main runways
- Installing Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights and Runway Threshold Identification Lights
According to AAC, the works will enable aircraft that currently use Archerfield to do so more safely and accommodate a projected growth in movements.
"In accordance with the Master Plan 2017-2037, Archerfield Airport is forecast to cater for between 170,000 and 260,000 aircraft movements per year," an AAC statement released yesterday says.
"Project AIM will assist in facilitating this anticipated growth by improving and modernising the existing ageing infrastructure and will enable the airport to continue to play a supportive role to Brisbane Airport for the foreseeable future."
The upgrades are also expected to enable 80-seat aircraft such as Dash 8s, Q400s and ATR 72s to use the airport on RPT operations.
Archerfield Airport has experienced a 47% increase in movements since 2014-15, which AAC General Manager Heather Mattes has attributed to Basair setting up in 2014, a new corporate jet base and Lifeflight and Polair relocating to Archerfield.
Helicopter training operations are also on the rise.
The preliminary draft Major Development Plan opens for consultation today and closes on 14 March 2019. The plan can be downloaded from the Archerfield Airport website.