As a pilot and aircraft owner, it’s a subject very close to her heart and Ms Ley was adamant she didn’t want to lose ‘a single metre of runway’ anywhere in the country.
“It was a very good meeting … it brought together councillors who really heard from airport and aircraft users how much activity there is at Corowa,” she said.
“There’s maintenance, flying training, sport aircraft, parachuting and local industry.
“A lot of people are very unhappy, as am I.”
Ms Ley said an airport need not be a dead weight cost but could add tourism and business dollars to a town.
“There is federal funding available, and my job is with any next steps to help with asset refurbishment,” she said.
“There needs to be discussions between council, industry and users.”
There was broad agreement at last week’s meeting that industry bodies need to come together to be part of the solution.
All three commercial businesses based at Corowa Aerodrome were at last week’s gathering along with Ms Ley, five councillors and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association president, Ben Morgan.
Maintenance engineer Steve Nelson felt the meeting was positive, and that all the right people were there.
He said recent discussions with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) revealed that Federation Council had done everything that was needed to maintain the aerodrome’s two runways.
“There’s no requirement from CASA to upgrade lighting or any aspect of the aerodrome,” Mr Nelson said.
“It’s in good condition; some areas can be improved but there’s no need for immediate expenditure.”
There are, however, three important things that Mr Nelson says need the council’s attention.
Lease agreements for commercial businesses need to be reviewed and set in stone, plots of land identified in 2008 need to be released by council for commercial purposes and hard standing areas for visitors to tie aircraft down need to be improved.
“With a lot of interest in hangarage and from businesses that would like to pursue their options, those potential lots need to be released,” he said.
“I’ve been pushing for more than three years to build another hangar and I’ve been waiting three years for a decision.
“I have three employees and I could have five or six, but I need another hangar to expand.”
With ideas around increased user numbers helping to help offset costs, an annual fee for regular users to reduce the administrative cost of collecting landing fees – currently no landing fees are charged – and Federal Government grants for maintenance, the conversation has begun.
“I think the council is getting more information now, and I think it’s more positive messaging” Mr Nelson said.
“They were all a bit on the fence, but I think they can see a direction and how it can work.
“Now it’s a matter of making it work.”
Ms Ley agreed that airports don’t need to run at a loss, nor should they be a burden on ratepayers.
“The mood in the room was that there are opportunities for development,” she said.
“Everyone has taken a deep breath; we need to work through this because once we lose it, you never get it back.
“There’s an exciting future on the other side.”
