Council’s long-held position has been for the Richmond Base to be opened up to budget domestic carriers to take pressure off Sydney Kingsford Smith and to give more options to Sydney residents and visitors.
“Reports over the weekend suggest that Tigerair Australia is in discussions with the Federal Government over the use of Richmond Airport for budget flights,” Mayor Byrne said.
“This is a logical step in the right direction. While the Federal Government decides whether to build an airport at Badgery’s Creek, a small commercial operation can be set up at Richmond in a relatively short period of time.”
Mayor Byrne said the Richmond Airport could employ between 300-500 full-time workers during the construction period and up to 3700 once at full capacity.
“An Ernst and Young Report made a compelling case for a second Sydney airport. We need to act now rather than leave this issue for another generation.”
“At Richmond we’ve got the foundations for what could be a small yet vital commercial airport. Let’s use what we’ve got rather than debate the issue for another 25 years.”
“The experts tell us that the cost of not acting is too great to ignore. We need to stop wavering over this and take action.”
