Broken Hill Airport is another step closer to landing larger aircraft, with Broken Hill City Council recently securing a further $5 million in funding for safety upgrades.
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton met with Mayor, Tom Kennedy and General Manager, Jay Nankivell, to discuss the funding, provided under Round 3 of the Australian Government’s Regional Airports Program.
“I’m thrilled that Broken Hill City Council has received $4,998,048 in funding to upgrade aircraft pavement movement areas at Broken Hill Airport,” Mr Coulton said.
“This funding is a significant shot-in-the-arm for the major airport upgrade, and follows on the back of a $4.98 million investment from the NSW Government. That’s just under $10 million which will enable Council to get the ball rolling on its plans to upgrade the airport to ultimately accommodate larger aircraft such as Boeing 737 planes, improving travel between Broken Hill and larger centres.”
Council says the airport upgrade is a key part of its long-term vision to capitalise on upcoming mining and energy projects to grow the Silver City.
“This has been a priority of Council’s for some time, and I’m pleased to have been able to work with Council to secure this funding,” the Minister said.
Mayor Kennedy thanked the Federal Government for supporting Broken Hill’s infrastructure at such a critical time.
“This funding will allow us to reconstruct the airport’s taxi-ways and aprons, which will in turn improve aircraft movement, storage, and safety for both commercial operators and the Royal Flying Doctor Service,” Mayor Kennedy said.
“We know there’s going to be a surge in air travel to and from the region as major mining and energy projects ramp up in the coming years, and this funding will greatly assist in providing upgrades to meet that demand.”
