Airservices Australia has confirmed it will build a combined air traffic control tower and fire station at Broome Airport valued at almost $20 million.
Airservices had been considering options for the installation of air
traffic control services and an upgrade of the current Aviation and
Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) services for the past year.
Once built, it will be the first combined facility of its type in the country and will ensure the safe management of air traffic in and around the airport. The four storey tower will be fitted with the latest technology and be built to withstand cyclones. The facility will also include rain water collection for landscape irrigation and vehicle cleaning.
Airservices’ CEO Greg Russell said the ground-based radio service currently in use at the airport would not be sufficient to cope with the increased volume of aircraft expected over the next decade.
“Broome Airport is one of the busiest regional airports in Australia,” he said. “The establishment of an air traffic control tower and fire station in Broome shows our ongoing commitment to the development and implementation of infrastructure to make aviation safer and more efficient in regional Australia.
“With more than 73,000 aircraft movements expected by 2025, this facility represents our ability to appropriately protect life and property at Broome Airport. It will also ensure that we are well placed to provide safe, efficient air traffic operations in the region well into the future."
Seven air traffic controllers and 20 aviation fire fighters will be
based at Broome and will work across three shifts. A temporary tower service will operate while building works are underway, with the new facility scheduled to be complete in mid-2011.