Dubbo is cementing itself as the medical hub for western NSW, says Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.
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The Dubbo City Regional Airport’s $17.5 million redevelopment was unveiled on Tuesday. It includes strengthening of the tarmac, lighting upgrades and four new hangars.
The project was funded with $7.4 million from the NSW government, $6.6 million from the federal government and $3.4 million from Dubbo Regional Council.
The hangars will allow the Royal Flying Doctor Service to load and unload patients undercover, protecting them from the heat and rain, said RFDS South Eastern Section president Terry Clark.
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“Our mission is to provide excellence in medical transportation and medical services. How would we be judged if we heat our passengers up before they get off the plane and we heat them up or wash them down in the rain before they get on?” he said.
“This is going to be the ultimate in service delivery.”
The RFDS has four operational planes in Dubbo and multiple flights every day.
Mr Coulton said Dubbo was becoming a regional hub and that would only grow as more infrastructure was constructed.
“A lot of the people who will be using these hangers will not be Dubbo people, they'll be people coming in from Bourke, Brewarrina, Nyngan, White Cliffs, all those western towns. This is another brick in the wall for Dubbo being the regional centre for health,” he said.
Mayor Ben Shields said the airport was growing in leaps and bounds, which would encourage more business expansion and investment.
Council has already purchased land to the north of Dubbo to continue the growth of the airport.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Cr Shields said.
Councillor Greg Mohr said he had seen the airport go from one terminal with Fokker Friendships flying one or two times a day to what it currently was.
“We have a lot of land here and a lot of business that is planned for in our master plan. This is only a small step of what can be achieved in the long run,” Cr Mohr said.
“I can say further on, hopefully this year there will be another announcement but this will be of great impact for not only Dubbo but the Dubbo region.”
The work at the airport, from the RFDS tourist precinct to the Rural Fire Service training centre was creating hundreds of jobs for Dubbo, Dubbo MP Troy Grant said.
“The project addresses a critical need for increased services that support tourism and the provision of healthcare in the region,” he said.
Mr Clark said the final touches would be out on the hangars in the next few weeks to make them operational.