Regional Airport & Air Service Project

Meeke Consulting was engaged by the client to provide aviation advice in respect of a $-multi-million transaction involving the purchase of three tourism resorts in the North West of the Western Australia. One of the resorts included ownership of the local airport and reliance upon a regulated airline service utilising Dash 8 (100 & 300 Series) aircraft.

The first part of our engagement was to evaluate the risks involved in the ownership and operation of the airport and the reliance on a regulated (but unsubsidised) air service. This was to form a key part of the due diligence process by the client’s Board and would potentially have a bearing on the broader transaction.

Our work involved examination of all aspects of the current airport ownership and management. It considered the issues identified in the last three ATIs (Annual Technical Inspections) and the arrangements in place with key personnel. As the entity holding ownership of the airport was not part of the transaction, it became apparent that a new Certification would have to be undertaken with CASA.

Examination of the air service and the resort’s reliance on it involved many considerations facing remote regional communities across Australia and led to a number of suggestions regarding improvements to the air service and mitigation of the risks to the resort and the neighbouring communities.

The Board considered the report and the transaction went ahead – leading to the subsequent engagement of Meeke Consulting to project manage the re-Certification of the aerodrome with CASA.

A third party was engaged to assist with the writing of new manuals and key documents, including the Safety Management System, the Aerodrome Manual, the Risk Register, the Aerodrome Emergency Plan, etc. The task was completed on time and within budget, enabling the settlement of all three properties to occur on the due date.