Australia's Perth Airport will have a new terminal catered to charter and regional flights in 2012.
Called Terminal WA, the A$136 million ($122.5 million) project is part of airport operator Westralia Airports Corporation's proposed A$1 billion upgrade of Perth Airport.
Australia's transport minister Anthony Albanese has approved construction of the new terminal, which will have 20 aircraft bays and will be able to process up to 1,800 passengers each hour at its peak.
"It will initially be a dedicated facility for charter and regional flights operating within Western Australia, particularly the daily services that fly workers to and from remote mining locations," says Albanese.
Charter and regional flights currently use the airport's Terminal 3 and other general aviation facilities at Perth Airport, which has placed "increasing strain" on the airport's capacity to serve commercial flights, he adds.
"Aviation charter services in Western Australia have increased by 41% in just seven years - from 23,650 in 2002 to 33,300 movements in 2009," says Albanese.
Terminal WA's capacity will be 50% higher than that of Terminal 3, he adds.
The new terminal is expected to create more than 1,070 jobs during its construction and additional long-term jobs at the terminal, says Albanese.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
