Corporate aircraft owners in the Australian boomtown of Perth are protesting a new airport slot arrangement that will require them to reserve 24 hours ahead to get in and out. Of course, one of the advantages of private aviation is that a plane can be dispatched as needed but Perth is facing crunches of traffic at the most popular times of day (early morning and late afternoon) and corporate operators say they’re being shuffled aside. According to the Western Australian the priority is to get mining workers to and from their jobs on time.
Pert Airport CEO Brad Geatches said the airport will push ahead with the slot arrangement, which he said would improve efficiency. But Peter Hillier, chief pilot of Revesco Aviation, said even booking 24 hours ahead could result in delays of two hours in getting a takeoff slot. Peter Nadilo of Maxem Aviation said the needs of corporate aviation need to be considered in the mix. “We need some common sense and a fresh approach to say a certain number of slots are available for corporate aircraft.”
