An in-depth pavement inspection and field survey of the Gunnedah Airport will help the shire council to determine the airport's future.
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Councillors endorsed the allocation of $73,000 for the work at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday after a previous motion failed to gain votes at the July ordinary meeting and it became clear that airport maintenance costs were a source of contention.
In the extraordinary business papers, council's public facilities manager Ashley Gardner wrote that industry experts had recommended that the council undertake the inspection if it was "seeking to increase aircraft movements at the facility, either private or commercial".
"The Gunnedah Airport Master Plan notes the poor condition of the main runway (11/29) seal and relatively low tyre pressure, which is a limiting factor on the size of the aircraft able to operate from the runway," Mrs Gardner wrote.
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Council funding was first sought and endorsed in April and since then Mrs Gardener said public facilities staff had completed Aerodrome Reporting Officer training, which has "resulted in a more accurate perspective regarding the condition of the pavement and the work required in the pavement inspection".
Mrs Gardner said that a report would help staff to define the scope of works required to bring the pavement in line with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification standards and Regional Passenger Transport (RPT) standards "should council ever wish to pursue this as a future option for the Gunnedah Airport".
Cr Rob Hooke supported the funding allocation for the inspection because it's "an extremely important move".
"It was noted that we let the motion lapse last time but I think we've had more time to consider. If this motion does not proceed, I think it really means the potential death knell of the airport as we know it," he said at the meeting.
"At this particular time, this money needs to be spent so that we have got a very, very good understanding of what is needed to bring this airport up to standard. And I think we owe it to the public to have all the information at our fingertips before we make any decision one way or the other in respect to the airport."
