Perth Airport is the fourth busiest in the country, with DEC projected to increase by 169 per cent from $1.89 billion in 2011 to $5.08 billion in 2031. The airport faces capacity challenges related to rapidly rising demand created by the resources boom. The airport operator's draft master plan410 forecasts passenger numbers will more than double from 13.7 million in 2013 to 28.5 million in 2034. The DEC is projected to increase at a rate of 5.1 per cent per year.
In order to respond to this rapid increase in demand, the master plan identifies construction of a parallel runway, a new domestic terminal and a multi-storey car park, and expansion of T2 terminal. Airport roads are being upgraded and further improvements to airport access are planned, through improved road access (Perth Gateway) and a proposed new airport rail link to Perth CBD.
Regional airports will continue to play a role in enabling ongoing regional development in Western Australia. Tourism will be an important driver for regional development. Better connections and developed regional airport infrastructure will enhance regional economics and create jobs in regional areas. The many smaller airports and air strips in WA play an important social and community role in supporting regional cohesion. Nearly all of these smaller airports are owned by local government, with many requiring subsidies for operations and maintenance.
A large part of the state's domestic air travel is to and from Perth from the northern airports serving the mining industry, which employs large numbers of fly-in /fly-out workers. The DEC of these fly-in /fly-out operations to the state's economy was about $0.5 billion in 2011. Passenger numbers at Karratha Airport are forecast411 to increase to around 1.75 million by 2032, up from 728,000 in 2013/14.
Broome international airport services a growing number of tourists travelling to the northern regions of WA. This market is likely to become more important for these local economies. Passenger numbers at Broome Airport are forecast to increase from 410,000 in 2013-14 to around 820,000 by 2025.412
Table 69: Western Australia airport passenger and freight volumes - 2013-14
| Revenue passenger (No.) | International Freight (tonnes) | ||||||
Airport | Domestic (incl. Regional) Airlines | International Airlines | Total passengers | Total as % of national total | Inbound | Outbound | Total | Total as % of national total |
Perth | 8,880,149 | 4,056,341 | 12,936,490 | 8.83% | 41,298 | 38,783 | 80,081 | 3.75% |
Karratha | 727,798 | 0 | 727,798 | 0.50% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Port Hedland | 504,659 | 0 | 504,659 | 0.34% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Broome | 410,618 | 0 | 410,618 | 0.28% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Newman | 408,332 | 0 | 408,332 | 0.28% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Kalgoorlie | 237,396 | 0 | 237,396 | 0.16% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Paraburdoo | 209,087 | 0 | 209,087 | 0.14% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Source: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (2014i)
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410. Perth Airport (2014)
411. Karratha Airport (2013)
412. Broome International Airport (2008)