Understanding the real costs and benefits of Kempsey airport
Published on 26 September 2024
Kempsey Airport is considered by some to be an invaluable asset, critical to emergency response capability in the region, while to others it is an unnecessary and expensive burden on Council’s resources and ratepayers.
A new investigation into the feasibility of Kempsey Airport aims to better understand the usage, needs and capabilities of the airport and determine the costs to the community to operate and maintain the airport.
The first step in the review process is to understand who uses the airport, why they use it and what infrastructure they require.
To that end, Kempsey Shire Council invited airport user groups to attend an airport feasibility workshop at the Slim Dusty Centre on Wednesday 18 September 2024. Around 25 participants attended two workshops in two sessions across the day, with representatives from local business, NSW Ambulance, NSW Health, Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Services, Police, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Recovery NSW.
Kempsey Shire Council Group Manager Commercial Business, Peter Allen, thanked the participants who generously gave their time to provide unique insights into how they or their organisations use the airport, which help Council to understand how the airport is currently used.
“In this prolonged time of financial scrutiny, voices both on Council as well as in the broader community have queried the cost to Council of the airport, so we have committed to an Airport Feasibility Review,” said Mr Allen.
“There have been no decisions made regarding the future of the airport. Conducting a feasibility review is a long and considered process with many steps. We are currently in a discovery phase and will present our findings to our new Councillors. This may lead into a broader assessment, including consultation with the community, if significant changes to how the airport is currently run are recommended.”
The workshops were hosted by specialist aviation consultants, Aviation Projects, who are conducting the independent portion of the review. The consultant’s report will be considered alongside an internal review of the airport’s operating procedures and costs, as well as advice on Council’s obligation to provide aviation services.
It is expected that an initial feasibility report will be presented to Council by February 2025. Council is committed to an informed and cautious approach to this matter and is keen to involve the community wherever possible.