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Business Case for the SunShine CoaSt airport Master Plan

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Stage 5: Option Generation<br />

Convenience<br />

The current location of <strong>the</strong> <strong>airport</strong> is relatively central to <strong>the</strong> population and <strong>the</strong><br />

tourist destinations of <strong>the</strong> Sunshine Coast. Importantly, it is very conveniently<br />

located in respect to Maroochydore which is designated under <strong>the</strong> SEQ Regional<br />

<strong>Plan</strong> as <strong>the</strong> principal activity centre on <strong>the</strong> Sunshine Coast.<br />

Terrain<br />

The Sunshine Coast Hinterland consists of undulating to very steep terrain,<br />

unsuitable <strong>for</strong> <strong>airport</strong> construction and operation. Accordingly, only <strong>the</strong> relatively<br />

narrow band of <strong>the</strong> coastal plain is available <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> consideration of alternate sites.<br />

This however coincides with <strong>the</strong> location of most of <strong>the</strong> predicted population growth<br />

on <strong>the</strong> Sunshine Coast, with a projected 70 per cent growth in population size<br />

expected in <strong>the</strong> period 2006-2031.<br />

O<strong>the</strong>r<br />

The constraints on relocation of <strong>the</strong> <strong>airport</strong> were confirmed again in 2007 in a study<br />

by GHD Engineering on behalf of <strong>the</strong> Queensland Government in relation to<br />

investigations into <strong>the</strong> replacement of Caloundra Aerodrome. The study concluded<br />

<strong>the</strong>re were no suitable sites even <strong>for</strong> a small general aviation <strong>airport</strong> north of<br />

Caloundra.<br />

Option 4<br />

Extension of existing runway<br />

Runway 18/36 is 1,797 metres long and 30 metres wide with 3 metre wide sealed<br />

shoulders. The total runway strip width is 150 metres, making it a Code 3C runway<br />

per Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Manual of Standards Part 139 <br />

Aerodromes (MoS Part 139).<br />

The runway is bordered by residential development to <strong>the</strong> north, south and east<br />

and by <strong>the</strong> <strong>airport</strong> terminal and parking areas to <strong>the</strong> west.<br />

Runway 18/36 is generally sufficient <strong>for</strong> A320-200 and B737-700/800/900 domestic<br />

flight operations at Maximum Take-off Weight (MTOW) except on high temperature<br />

days (greater than 30 o c where loads are constrained by up to 20 passengers.<br />

However, due to <strong>the</strong> runway length, trans-Tasman operations by <strong>the</strong>se aircraft may<br />

only be possible at reduced payloads.<br />

Extending runway 18/36 was considered in <strong>the</strong> Preliminary Draft <strong>Master</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>.<br />

However, due to community concern, impacts on <strong>the</strong> PSA and Runway End Safety<br />

Area (RESA) and <strong>the</strong> limited operational value af<strong>for</strong>ded by extending <strong>the</strong> runway,<br />

this option was rejected. Similarly, <strong>the</strong>re are considerable costs and operational<br />

constraints involved in widening of <strong>the</strong> existing runway.<br />

Using <strong>the</strong> existing runway 18/36 passenger growth can only be accommodated by<br />

increasing aircraft numbers. This is due to <strong>the</strong> limitations of <strong>the</strong> runway width and<br />

hence <strong>the</strong> inability to accommodate larger aircraft types. This limits <strong>the</strong> potential to<br />

grow <strong>the</strong> destination and <strong>the</strong> aviation market to all but limited trans-Tasman routes.<br />

The Queensland Governments State <strong>Plan</strong>ning Policy (SPP) 1/02 requires Public<br />

Safety Areas (PSA) be provided at <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> main runway at major <strong>airport</strong>s,<br />

including Sunshine Coast Airport, where increased risks to public safety can arise<br />

from development near <strong>the</strong> runway ends, including:<br />

· Residential development.<br />

19 | P a g e

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