L+R Airport Consulting was engaged to prepare the Shellharbour Airport Master Plan in 2023.
- The Master Plan seeks to address a number of key opportunities at a vibrant and important regional airport, which has historically been under-served by airline services due mainly to its proximity to Sydney. The Master Plan vision is to develop the Illawarra Regional Airport into a vibrant business hub that contributes to regional economic development, tourism and employment, while facilitating the viable development of a greater range of affordable air travel options for the region.The Master Plan sets out infrastructure development requirements around three (3) aviation development scenarios identified by a market review (by others) which represent:
- ‘Business As Usual’ continued operation by 34-seat aircraft, with potential increases in frequency;
- ‘Introduction of Airport Security’ with the introduction of 50-150-seat regional jet aircraft; and
- ‘Affordable Travel Options’ enabling low-cost airlines with Code 4C medium narrow-body aircraft such as the B737 and A320 families carrying 0.5-1 million passengers per year.
As a Code 2C airport, heavily constrained by available land and surrounding terrain, there are significant challenges in facilitating larger aircraft at Shellharbour. The Master Plan sets out a detailed approach to navigating the various safety assessments and consideration that would need to be completed to the safety regulator and other authorities’ satisfaction, and the need to balance any investment in ground infrastructure in line with progress in the safety case development.
Other elements incorporated into the Master Plan include the identification and establishment of dedicated precinct for the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), to grow their on-site presence and facilitate the potential development of a nationally and internationally significant aviation museum. Previous concepts for aviation business park development (previously prepared by our team) were also refined, updated and incorporated.