Member login
Fruit Growers Welcome ALP Commitment to Hobart Airport Upgrade
Fruit Growers Tasmania | Wednesday, 27 April 2022, 9.00am
Fruit Growers Tasmania has welcomed the announcement by the Australian Labor Party to commit to the investment of $60 million to upgrade Hobart Airport to allow for long-distance freight and wide-body international flights.
“This investment would give Tasmanian fruit growers the confidence to invest and pursue export markets”, Fruit Growers Tasmania’s CEO Peter Cornish said.
A commitment to the Hobart Airport upgrade was one of the key commitments Fruit Growers Tasmania sought from parties in the lead up to the Federal Election.
Catherine King, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development made the announcement on Tuesday 26 April. This commitment will see the upgrading of the runway, taxiways and parking apron to fully laden widebody aircraft standard. Ideally, the upgrade would be done in conjunction with planned runway maintenance in early 2023.
“The airport upgrade would provide certainty for fruit growers from all parts of Tasmania. Direct flight capacity from Hobart Airport to international markets is essential for Tasmanian berry growers in the north-west, north and south of the state to establish export markets”, Mr Cornish said.
“It would also support our nation-leading cherry exporters to improve their links to current markets and reduce the cost imposts caused by current aircraft needing to stop in Melbourne to refuel and fully load”, Mr Cornish said.
“Key transport links like the state’s only international airport in Hobart need to be improved to ensure our exporters remain competitive and services are available that shorten the length of the journey to market and remove transit stops.”
Fruit growers are excited by the potential of this investment and what it would mean for the whole horticulture industry in Tasmania.
