FOP, PERS' P. M No._ 851S2
DOMESTIC JET -EUIPMNT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT
PRO GRAIE
Statement by the Prine Minister, the E on._ R. G Menzies
The Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, announced today
a programme of airport development throughout Australia which
will allow the introduction of jet aircraft to Australia's
internal air routes after July, 1964.
The airport programe involves construction of a
new Melbourne airport at Tullamarino, a new international
passenger terminal building and other major development works
at Sydney airport in addition to runway extensions already
approved, and important airport works elsewhere throughout
Australia requiring a total expenditure of about œ 30 million
in the next five years.
Mr, Monzios said the Government had approved the
purchase of two heavy jet airliners each by Trans-Australia
Airlines and Ansett/ A. N. A. and expected to be advised of the
airlines' positive aircraft selections after November 18th,
Both airlines had indicated to the Government that
they preferred to introduce heavy rather than light jet airliners.
The airport programme will bring the all-time total
Commonwealth airport expenditure at Sydney to about œ 20 million
and at Melbourne to about œ 17 million.
Mr. Menzies said the now Melbourne airport at
Tullamarine would be doevloped for international and domestic
jet traffic by 1967 on the , O0O-acre site already acquired by
the Government for approximately œ 2.3 million.
The new airport would have two runways, 8,000 feet
and 7,000 feet long, with high-speed turnouts from runways to
increase traffic capacity, taxiways, aprons and a modern
terminal building to accommodate both international and domestic
traffic. The project would include the usual engineering and
other scr. ices and the airport would be equipped with the most
modern air navigational facilities, including high intensity
lighting and instrument landing systems.
Runways and aprons would be designed to handle the
heaviest aircraft types contemplated for civil airline operations
throughout the world.
Mr. Menzios said that the Government had acquired
a large area of land at Tullamarine and overseas airport experts
who had seen the site were unanimous that it was ideal to serve
a developing city.
The runways planned for the airport could be adapted
if necessary to meet future traffic demands. While Essendon
Airport remained in operation, the new runways could be used
in co-ordination with the existing runways at Essendon and the
Tullamarine-Essendpn Airport complex would in fact provide a
multiple runway system which would be operated under a single
Air Traffic Control unit. o o o a ./ 2
0
Mr. Menzies said the Government had approved the use
of Essendon by domestic jot aircraft as an intorim measure until
Tullar arine was completed. Jet aircraft operations would have to
meet any meessary restrictions at the airporto
He said that with the œ 5 million already spent at
Essendon and the acquisition of the Tullamarine site for mcre
than œ 2 million, the works now approved would bring Commonwealth
expenditure on Melbourne's airport facilities to more than
œ 17 million. Mr. Menzies said the new international terminal area
at Sydney Airport would be designed to handle not only the
existing large international jet airliners, but also more advanced
airliners which might be expected to use the airport later.
The now terminal area roquired the construction of
a new international terminal with the necessary aprons, taxiways,
and other facilities, It was planned to be in operation by
1968. The new Sydney terninal area would cost about œ 4
nillion and this was additional to the cost of extending the
airport s north-south runway into Botany Bay which would bring
the Commonwealth expenditure on Sydney airport to approximately
million. Mr. Menzies said the major domestic operators had
recently modernised their Sydney Airport terminal buildings.
These would remain in operation for some years.
Ho said the new internati. onal building would have
every modern amenity and be a world-class international air
terminal. Sydney was served by nine international airlines and
the now terminal would be designed to meet the foreseeable demands
of air traffic growth.
The Sydney Airport programne meant that Sydney would
have runways of 8,300 feet and 7,500 feet.
Mr. Menzios said that the benefits of the introduction
of heavy jet airliners by the domestic airlines would not be
confined to air travellers on the trans-continental and other
blue-ribbon trunk routes. As the jets went into service on major
air routes some Electra and Viscount airliners would be available
for introduction on other domestic services and this would result
in a genera], improvement in airline services throughout the
entire domestic network. This would involve considerable airport
works that would be carried out over the next three years,
These included runway and apron developments at
Adelaide, Hobart, Mount Isa Kalgoorlie, Townsville, Lae and
Coolangatta, as well as at aunceston where the Government had
already approved an airport runway and building development
programme which would cost more than œ 1 million. These works
would be in addition to the normal airport development programme
which cost the Commonwealth between œ 1.5 million and œ 2 million
a year, and included a very substantial amount granted to Local
Authorities under the Aerodrome Local Ownership Plano
This plan, introduced by the Government in 1957 and
already accepted Ly more than one hundred Local Authorities
throughout Australia, provided for grants by the Commonwealth of
per cent, towards the cost of the development and maintenance
of airports owned and operated by local authorities, 0 0o */ 3
~' rMenzies s,: id t -e nt-oi-t~ ioIIf. e irrf
AuI'tL aian internal air r outes wvould be " ne r'ot imf-portant
post. wa: aCdvance in Australian do-: stic ai21r ser-viceL-S0
Af ter-Novembe-r 13, bo iUh a irlines would 1' e free-to
apply to tho Minister for Civ--il Aviation, Senator Shane ? altridge,
for periission to or'-Ier the heoavy joIt & Jircraft of thci~ r individual
c 1-o CO The Gover-nment, as yet, had no Positive indication
f r oi either airline ol' -ojrofer: Dnce for any one of the three
av,-ai'lable-aircr1aft in this class.
The aircraft , iere tthe Britisha-built de Havilland
Trident, thae American Boeing 737 and tiie Frenchn Carave-lle iQA.
It was roco5: nisad that reg-ardless of the typo, or
typos, selected, the new j. e-ts would be introduced by two
experienced air. lines each with a fine record for, thei efficient
introducti1on to service of new airliners,
Mr. Menzics said both airlines had indicated that
thecy would wish to purchase smallor je arinrsa alae
stage of their re-equipment progranme. 1s. These jets would be
a Viscount roplacor~ ant and, on presont indi1cations, bothi airlines
showed a preference for thle British, twin-Jet airiir, th
BAC One-Eleven0 However, they hnad made it clear that they would
also Consider the French Caravelle 6R9 the DucIF8an h
American Douglas 2086.
Mr. Manzios3 sai. d the Goverornent decision on domaestic
jot ro-equipment and thie Yiajor aiL-rpor-t programme it mado necessary
war--an indicat -ion of the immor-tan'u role of officient air
tiransport in a developing conitinernt,, Aviation has mado an
ussential contribution to Alustralian lieand the introduction
of rnodor-n jot aircraft to o-Lr dcnc.-stic, as well. as international,
air routes was in character withi Australias i ole as one of
theo major avlation countries of tae world.
CANBEBFLA November, 1962.