NSW: Emirates warns of Sydney Airport frustrations
SYDNEY, Aug 2 AAP - Emirates Airline used the launch of its new trans-Tasman servicestoday to attack Sydney Airport's operating curfew.
As a result, the carrier's vice-chairman and group president, Maurice Flanagan, placedhimself directly at odds with the federal opposition in calling for a second airport tobe built as a matter of urgency, ABC Radio reported.
Mr Flanagan said the curfew and flight movement restrictions at Sydney Airport discouragedairlines from directing more flights to what is Australia's busiest international gateway.
"We would like to have the planning capabilities to put flights there any time we like,"
the vice-chairman of the Dubai-based carrier said.
"That's the great advantage we've got in Dubai. It's a 24-hour airport, it makes anenormous difference."
Mr Flanagan's comments were made just 24 hours after Sydney Airport Corporation Limited(SACL) released a draft master plan which predicts passenger numbers will triple to 68.3million by 2023/24 as the number of aircraft movements reaches 412,000 a year.
That announcement followed hard on the heels of federal Labor leader Simon Crean'sannouncement that the opposition had abandoned its support for a second airport to bebuilt at Badgerys Creek.
Opposition treasury spokesman Mark Latham, whose electorate neighbours the BadgerysCreek site, today said Labor remained strongly committed to building a second airportto serve Sydney.
He said a comprehensive site selection process and environmental impact statement wouldbe ordered once Labor won government.
"It's something that is best done in government but our commitment to a second airportis strong and clear, it's a logical part of our policy for abandoning Badgerys Creek andwe will in government construct a second airport serving the Sydney basin," he told reportersin Liverpool today.
Marrickville Council Mayor Barry Cotter said Sydneysiders should be dubious of SACLclaims that the existing airport could handle more air traffic "because planes will somehowmiraculously be quieter and bigger".
But SACL chief executive Max Moore-Wilton said that "on the basis of what we are seeingtoday, we believe we can handle these changes by expanding the airport without doing anymajor change to the architecture of the airport runways".
He also dismissed the long-mooted construction of a second airport in Sydney's westas a "a complete and utter waste of money".
AAP pa/gmw/cjh/br
KEYWORD: AIRPORT EMIRATES
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