Archerfield Airport’s ambitious bid to attract regular passenger services has hit a stumbling block, with one of two interested airlines going into liquidation and negotiations with the other stalling.
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Vincent Aviation, which operated direct flights between Brisbane Airport and Narrabri and Roma, was grounded when the company went into receivership in May.
Vincent also operated in northern Australia, including Cairns and Darwin, where the New Zealand airline based its Australian operations.
Prior to going into receivership, Vincent Aviation was in negotiations to operate its 13-tonne, 34-seat SAAB 340s out of Archerfield.
Archerfield Airport general manager Corrie Metz said he remained hopeful regular passenger transport services would become a feature of Brisbane’s secondary airport, in the city’s south-west.
“We were negotiating with two airlines for RPT,” he said.
“One of the airlines we were negotiating with was Vincent Aviation and they’ve gone into liquidation, so that has stopped.
“…The other negotiations have gone quiet, so we’re not talking with anyone right now.
“But I try to give people as much notice as I can if we do introduce those types of services and we’re still committed to doing full public consultation should we introduce one of those services.”
Mr Metz said fly-in, fly-out services to regional sites continued to operate out of Archerfield.
Archerfield’s bid to be considered Brisbane’s second airport has been challenged by the privately funded Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport at Toowoomba, which is scheduled to open later this year.
A spokeswoman for Wagners, the company building Brisbane West Wellcamp, said negotiations with airlines to fly in and out of the Toowoomba airport were at the “pointy end” of negotiations.
Project manager and Wagners director Denis Wagner said the first 100 metres of asphalt had been laid to cover the 2.87-kilometre runway.
He said it would take a team of 12 workers about six weeks to seal the airstrip.
“It’s a big job but we’re happy with the results so far,” he said.
“We’ve also started all the underground earthworks for the runway lights and storm water.”
Work also continues at Eagle Farm, with a new $12 million service centre opening in the Brisbane Airport precinct, off Moreton Drive, last week.
The airport’s $1.3 billion parallel runway project, currently under construction, is expected to be completed by 2020.
