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Airport managing director Stephen Byron... “We’ve got the cheapest parking of any airport in the country and we’re going to keep it that way.” Photo by Silas Brown
New airport parks a big problem THE ugly duckling that was Canberra Airport has finally emerged a triumphant swan and, in the process, solved much of the public criticism over transport and parking issues.
“I’m really proud of the transition we’ve made from being a bit of an eyesore – and really what was a regional facility – to a first-class facility and something that represents everything that’s great about this city,” says airport managing director Stephen Byron. One of the most important parts of the redevelopment is improvements to access and Byron says it’s all about making it quick and easy for people to get into and out of the airport. Thanks to the redevelopment, the number of car-parking spaces has increased from 1400 to more than 3000 with two multi-level covered car parks each offering more than 1000 spaces. The two open-air car parks each have 450 parking spaces, including free 10-minute parking bays for
8 CityNews December 20-January 12
Libby Hill reports
pick-up and drop-off. Byron says all car parks are available for short and long stay users, meaning you can park within close proximity to the terminal, no matter how long you’ll be staying. A parking guidance system showing the exact number of spaces available at each car park as well as colour-coded tickets to tell you which car park you’re in, also add to making the experience quick and easy. According to Byron, Canberrans have a habit of taking taxis and getting friends to drop them off at the airport. Canberra Airport is hoping to change that behaviour and make it attractive for travellers to take the long-stay car parking option. “We’ve got the cheapest parking of any airport in the country and we’re going to keep it that way. A lot of people here use taxis and we’ve got that to compete with,” Byron says.