The Singapore government's decision last year not to extend the runway at Seletar airbase is a disappointment, says Geoffrey Hopkins (left). Original plans for start-up no-frills operator Air Asia to operate out of Seletar would have been the spur needed to see the airbase's 5,500ft (1,700m) runway extended by a further 500ft.
The current length makes it unusable by fully-loaded Global Express or BBJs, thereby limiting the use of what is now ostensibly a business aviation location.
A budget terminal at Changi allowing Air Asia to keep its costs down helps it achieve its business model but means an opportunity to give business aviation a boost has been missed, says Hopkins: "Restrictions such as the runway length and the fact that fuel prices at Seletar are almost twice what they are at Changi are factors we have to contend with," he says.
Source: Flight Daily News
