| Wagga Wagga Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagga Wagga Airport terminal | |||
| IATA: WGA – ICAO: YSWG
WGA
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||
| Owner | Commonwealth of Australia | ||
| Operator | Wagga Wagga City Council | ||
| Serves | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | ||
| Location | Forest Hill, New South Wales | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 724 ft / 221 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 05/23 | 5,801 | 1,768 | Asphalt |
| 12/30 | 5,007 | 1,526 | Clay |
| Statistics (2010-2011) | |||
| Revenue passengers | 213,923 | ||
| Aircraft movements (all) | 7,248 | ||
| Sources: Airservices Australia,[1] BITRE[2] | |||
Wagga Wagga Airport (IATA: WGA, ICAO: YSWG), is located adjacent to RAAF Base Wagga, in New South Wales, Australia. The airfield is an operational base, but is leased by the Wagga Wagga City Council on a 30 year lease from the Australian Department of Defence,[3] with RAAF Base Wagga being a ground training base. The airfield is still used by military aircraft, mostly transport aircraft transporting freight or passengers.
Regional Express Airlines maintains its fleet of Saab 340 passenger and freight aircraft at Wagga Wagga Airport.
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The airport was established in 1937 by the Wagga Wagga Municipal Council, In 1938 relegated control was given to the Royal Australian Air Force.
On 28 January 1992 the Wagga Wagga City Council secured a 30 year lease from the Commonwealth of Australia which included $2 million dollars to upgrade the airport's runway which can handle a Boeing 737.[4]
In June 2009, Wagga Wagga Airport was listed third for the World's strange sounding airports.[5]
In December 2009 the airport had undergone a $2.2 million upgrade to increase its capacity for future growth and to improve the security at the airport.[6]
On 27 May 2010, Anthony Albanese announced that the federal government would provided funding worth A$1.05 million, as part of the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program, to the Wagga Wagga City Council for the installation of the A$1.63 million Instrument Landing System (ILS), which were only found in all of Australia's capital cities.[7][8] The ILS was commissioned by Airservices Australia on 16 December 2010.[9]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| QantasLink | Sydney |
| Regional Express | Melbourne, Sydney |
2007-08 financial year the Airport recorded 204,409 which made it one of the busiest airports in regional New South Wales.
| Year | Passenger numbers |
|---|---|
| 2001-02 | 106,105 |
| 2002-03 | 110,420 |
| 2003-04 | 130,135 |
| 2004-05 | 157,423 |
| 2005-06 | 171,677 |
| 2006-07 | 203,798 |
| 2007-08 | 225,394 |
| 2008-09 | 209,279 |
| 2009-10 | 208,866 |
| 2010-11 | 213,923 |
Regional Express Engineering heavy maintenance facility is based at Wagga Wagga Airport which provides maintenance for Saab 300 series and Fairchild Metro SA-277 aircraft.[10][11]
In February 2009, Regional Express Airlines announced that the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) was relocated from Mangalore Airport in Victoria to Wagga Wagga Airport on 1 April 2009, in partnership with the City of Wagga Wagga.[12][13]
On 27 May 2010, AAPA campus at Wagga Wagga Airport was officially opened by Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese.[14]
Wagga Wagga City Council publicly released the Wagga Wagga Airport draft master plan in April 2010, which is to establish direction for future development at the airport over a 20 year period.[15] Part of the master plan includes blueprints for a new airport terminal, capability to accommodate jets and business ventures.[16]
In April 2011, a joint tender for security upgrades for baggage and passenger screening was called for Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Dubbo Airports, which is to be completed by July 2012.[17] Wagga Wagga City Council will receive A$650,000 from the federal government to purchase the baggage and passenger screening equipment, with the council funding A$162,000 to install the equipment.[18]
In the 2011-12 financial year, Wagga Wagga City Council will develop a commercial aviation precinct at a cost of A$6.8 million, to attract aviation industries to the airport. Council will also allocate A$1.5 million for construction of 29 hangars for general aviation. The airport improvements funding will be partly paid by the introduction of parking fees at the airport's carpark.[18]
In September 2011, it was announced that Douglas Aerospace would be centralising its operations at the airport by April 2012, which will see the council's construction of two hangars speeded up.[19]
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