Australian Airports Association (AAA) Chief Executive James Goodwin said last week that his organisation welcomed the start of the Federal Government's aviation white paper process.
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King launched the white paper process last week with a call for industry feedback on the terms of reference.
“This is the right time to review the aviation policy and regulatory settings as the sector begins the slow recovery from the impacts of the pandemic,” AAA Chief Executive James Goodwin said.
“It is over a decade since the last significant aviation policy statement by the Australian Government in 2009, when the current Prime Minister was the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
“It is hoped the Aviation White Paper will bring some long-term certainty to the sector and provides an opportunity to get the right settings in place for the decades ahead.
“It is vital the White Paper also reviews government settings and government agencies which impact or control aviation infrastructure, planning, airspace management and safety."
Goodwin said that he believed the government had listened to the airport industry when it shaped the terms of reference for the white paper, and the process would not duplicate the work of other reviews already planned or underway, and that it should address difficulties and challenges facing airport and aerodromes both major and regional.
“Airports are critical national infrastructure," he pointed out, "vital to the economic and social wellbeing of all Australians which keep communities connected and in many parts of the country aviation is often the only form of public transport."
The AAA has 150 corporate members and states that it represent the interests of 340 airports and aerodromes right across Australia.