Rockhampton Airport has Freight Hub Potential

It's a few sentences in a lengthy Federal Government report, but Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Brad Carter has high hopes that those words could trigger a job-spinning future for Rockhampton Airport as a major regional freight hub.

The National Freight Strategy discussion paper, just released by Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese, refers to the city’s airport as one of a handful with national importance for freight.

Although the airport currently moves very little freight, Cr Carter says he believes it has tremendous long-term potential to establish Rockhampton as one of the most important freight centres in the nation.

And he’s determined to make the most of the opportunity to cash in on its long runway, potential for 24-hour operation, plenty of space to develop warehousing, and a strategic location at the heart of one of Australia’s most important resources regions.

The mayor has visions of a hub linking air, road and rail, with the airport’s ability to handle the largest heavy-lift transport aircraft, making it a key player in the nation’s long-term plans.

He even discussed this potential with members of the Queensland (Flood) Reconstruction Authority board who visited Rockhampton on Monday 7 March.

Cr Carter would like to see a spur line linking the airport to the existing rail network and believes warehousing could either be developed at the airport itself or in the nearby Gracemere industrial corridor.

During military exercises near Rockhampton, the Airport plays host to the biggest freight transport aircraft in the world (as shown by this recent picture of an Antonov AN-124 at the airport), which proves the Airport’s freight potential.