“Warnervale airport gets clearance for take-off.” The Newcastle Herald, 24 May 1996.
Published immediately after the Land and Environment Court cleared the Warnervale Airport redevelopment to proceed, this article provides a detailed contemporary description of what the proposed regional airport was expected to become.
Traders Finance Australia managing director Stephen Duncan stated that construction of the proposed 1800-metre runway could begin within four months and promoted the project as an important economic development for the Central Coast. He highlighted Warnervale’s location between major road and rail infrastructure and predicted that the development would indirectly create thousands of jobs.
Wyong mayor Tony Sheridan provided particularly useful details about the intended scale of operations. He described Warnervale as a regional airport comparable with Ballina and said initial passenger services were expected to use 20- to 30-seat turboprop aircraft. The Beech 1900D was specifically cited as an example.
Sheridan also stated that the airport design could ultimately accommodate a BAe 146 carrying approximately 80 to 90 passengers, but emphasised that this represented the airport’s “absolute limit” and was not anticipated in the foreseeable future. Around nine commuter flights per day were expected, potentially connecting the Central Coast with Sydney, Melbourne and regional destinations.
The article is especially valuable when considered alongside contemporary claims about the potential scale of Warnervale Airport. It records both the ambitious economic expectations surrounding the redevelopment and explicit limits placed on the size and role of the proposed regional airport.
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