Four New England airports will have upgrades funded by the Federal Government in an announcement made today.
Armidale, Inverell, Quirinidi and Tamworth will all receive grants under the second round of the Regional Airports Program (RAP), which promises $100 million in funding over four years.
The announcement was made last night by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce. Joyce is also the Federal Member for New England.
“In Armidale, $300,000 in federal funding will deliver an airside aircrew rest facility for emergency services, access gates, aircraft tie-downs and other improvements,” Joyce said.
“In Tamworth, a further $300,000 will fund reconstruction and sealing of the taxiway pavement, improving safety and access.
“Inverell will receive over $278,000 for runway lighting upgrades, new wind indicators and a back-up generator to support crucial aviation operations, while Quirindi will benefit from almost $300,000 for runway pavement repairs.
“Every dollar spent on local infrastructure is a dollar well spent and I look forward to working with the community to deliver this vital funding as we continue recovering from the pandemic.”
Mr Joyce said the program supports important safety and access upgrades for regional airports, which provide an essential link to the rest of Australia.
“That’s why we’ve committed $100 million over four years from 2019–20 to 2022–23 to deliver upgrades to improve runway and taxiway pavements, install new lighting or fencing at regional airports," he said.
Applications for the second round of the RAP closed in December last year, and is expected to deliver around $58 million in grants.