This week is your last chance to have a say on the Draft Shellharbour Airport Master Plan, with consultation closing on Friday, April 26. 

The exhibition period opened on February 28 and public interest was been so great that Shellharbour City Council decided to extend it by a month. Community feedback to date has been largely positive, with about 80 percent supportive of the draft master plan, a council spokesperson said.

We took to the streets to gauge what residents think about the possibility of a bigger airport.

What we currently have

Shellharbour Airport’s biggest commercial airline is Link Airways, which offers flights between Shellharbour and Melbourne and Shellharbour and Brisbane for up to 34 passengers. Being a small regional airport, parking is a breeze, check-in is easy with little to no wait times and it’s only a five-minute walk to the terminal from the car park.

Of course, there’s a downside to these advantages. The flight options are limited, the smaller crafts are more susceptible to weather-related delays and cancellations, amenities are smaller with less choice and ticket costs can be higher.

What the options are

There are three scenarios in the draft plan.

The first is for things to stay the same, with no changes to the airport's capacity.

And that’s exactly what Rianna from Flinders would like to see. Increased noise is one of her main concerns: “Bigger planes with bigger engines will bring increased noise, possibly at night.” Rianna said she feels that the city of Shellharbour is expanding so dramatically that she is also worried about the ability of our current infrastructure to cope with the increased traffic that a bigger airport would bring.

The second scenario involves introducing airport security and enabling the airport to host medium-sized domestic aircraft capable of carrying about 135 passengers.

It’s the option that John from Shellharbour thinks will work the best. Although he agrees a bigger airport will bring more money into the area and save people the drive to Sydney to catch a plane, John is worried about the noise from the bigger aircrafts: “I have lived in Sydney underneath the flight path before and it is not great. I think the second scenario is probably the best as it’s the middle of the road and still a win.”

It’s all in, though, for Chelle from Shell Cove, who supports the third airport scenario: “Introduction of affordable travel options – enabling the introduction of large sized domestic aircraft capable of transferring 150+ passengers.”

Chelle said: “I regularly use the airport to travel to Brisbane. It’s convenient, easy to park and I appreciate not having to drive to Sydney. For me a bigger airport with more flights is an excellent option. My parents already live near the airport and are not expecting any problems with noise from an extended airport.”

Karen, an author from Shellharbour Village, has given this topic much thought and says: "Shellharbour Airport is a valuable resource that is underutilised.”

In her research on this topic, Karen looked at the airport in Orange – a city with a population of about 43,000 people compared with Shellharbour's 76,500 – and points out that Orange already has flights to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Karen has travelled on Link Airways to Brisbane for work and rates the experience as "awesome".  "Nothing beats flying into Shellharbour and seeing our city from the air.

“Convenience is a big draw card and supporting local business and employment. But cost is important so flying in and out of Sydney and driving home is sometimes the only option. I would hope larger aircraft that service more areas and carry more people will bring the costs down for consumers and more businesses to the area.”

Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer has stated that “an expanded airport capable of having larger aircraft and more frequent flights would give a real boost to the region – and be an attractor to investment and tourism into the area”.

Public exhibition of the Draft Master Plan began on February 28 and will close on Friday, April 26. For more details, visit Council's website.

Submissions can be made via Council’s Let’s Chat page, in writing to the Chief Executive officer, Locked Bag 155, Shellharbour City Centre, 2529 or by email to council@shellharbour.nsw.gov.au