ORGANISERS of a major aviation conference held in Dubbo this week have hailed it a success and hope the city will be able to host another similar event soon.
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Dubbo airport operations manager Lindsay Mason said key issues relating to aviation and airport management were discussed by delegates who visited the city for the two-day conference.
Among those issues was aviation security, including a briefing from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) about possible security threats.
Despite airport security traditionally being thought of as a capital city issue, Mr Mason said, as regional airports interlocked with capital city airports in "one big system", the update was certainly relevant.
Mr Mason and Fulton Hogan contractor Greg White gave a presentation on the recent tarmac resurfacing project that had taken place at Dubbo airport.
"It was a big project, with 10 rollers and four sweepers out there doing it over a weekend and we managed to get it re-opened ahead of time," Mr Mason said.
Delegates were also given an overview of the Dubbo Airport Strategic Master Plan, Mr Mason said.
"That includes looking not only at future runway needs, whether we need to make it longer and stronger in the future.
"As Dubbo grows, there might be different needs. But the plan also encompasses retail, business, it's more than aviation alone."
Regulators Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia updated delegates on safety regulations and upgrades to equipment and navigation aids, and a spokesperson for Sydney Airports Corporation provided an update on the proposal for a western Sydney airport.
Also discussed was the possibility of reintroducing regular passenger services to some western NSW centres, although that was also dependent on the number of slots available at Sydney airport, Mr Mason said.
Meanwhile, a members thinktank called "Around the Tarmac" left members in no doubt how much development was going on at regional airports across NSW, Mr Mason said.
"Regional airports are doing a lot of capital works," he said.
Hosting the meeting in Dubbo gave representatives from airports such as Bourke and Scone the opportunity to opportunity to attend where it may have been more difficult for them to get to Sydney, Mr Mason said.
"Also, the event was important to provide support for smaller airports," he said.
"Airports are a vital service, and a lot of them are community assets that don't necessarily make money."
