Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Airports Executive General Manager of Operations Rob Porter

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Katie Woolf spoke with NT Airports Executive General Manager of Operations Rob Porter · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Mix one at four point nine dot com DOTU for
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  Speaker 1: all the latest news and information. Now three sixty with
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  Speaker 1: Katie Wolf. Everyone is listening Mix one oh four point nine,
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  Speaker 1: one hundred percent at.
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  Speaker 2: There's been several reports over recent weeks about increased flights
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  Speaker 2: from various airlines into the Northern Territory. We know that
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  Speaker 2: yesterday Quantas added seven new routes in a number of
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  Speaker 2: different cities around Australia, including some further capacity from the
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  Speaker 2: likes of Darwin to Perth. So how are things going
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  Speaker 2: out at the airport? Well? Joining me on the line
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  Speaker 2: is the general Manager of Operations at NT Airports, Rob Porter.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Rob, Yeah, good morning.
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  Speaker 2: How are you? Yeah? Wonderful Rob. How are the numbers
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  Speaker 2: going out at the airport at the moment?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, really really strong, really really positive, And I think
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  Speaker 3: I just wanted to share with you this morning that
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  Speaker 3: you know, the main numbers look around one hundred and
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  Speaker 3: seventy out eight thousand seats, which is about ninety percent
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  Speaker 3: of the capacity pre COVID. So things are really looking
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  Speaker 3: up for the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Goodness mate, Rob, So around ninety percent of what we
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  Speaker 2: were like a comparative to what we were at pre COVID.
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  Speaker 2: Are you surprised that it's bounced back that quickly?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, look, and it will continue to grow. So when
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  Speaker 3: we look at a little bit further down the road
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  Speaker 3: in terms of July numbers, we're going to be back
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  Speaker 3: to ninety seven percent, So two hundred and thirty thousand
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  Speaker 3: domestic visitors will come to the territory during July. And
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  Speaker 3: I've got to say, as a new new resident of
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  Speaker 3: the territory, I'm not surprised. It's a wonderful place and
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  Speaker 3: there's lots of things to explore, so I'm not surprised
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  Speaker 3: we're seeing all these visitors choosing to come up to
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  Speaker 3: this part of the world.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's certainly great news, and you know, great that
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  Speaker 2: we have bounced back that quickly. Rob, You said one
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  Speaker 2: hundred and seventy eight thousand seats. Is that over a
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  Speaker 2: month long period or what period of time is that?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that's just for me and as I said,
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  Speaker 3: for full July, it'll grow again to two hundred and
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  Speaker 3: thirty thousand seats that are available, So yeah, we're in
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  Speaker 3: for a bumper season.
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  Speaker 2: Goodness mate. And that's all attributed obviously to those to
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  Speaker 2: those well, inter state arrivals, because as we all know,
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  Speaker 2: we don't actually have that international capacity at this point
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  Speaker 2: in time.
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  Speaker 3: Yep, that's it. This is all domestic, domestic visitors, if
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  Speaker 3: you like. So people instead of traveling overseas because we
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  Speaker 3: can't go overseas, you know that they've decided to come
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  Speaker 3: over here and.
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  Speaker 2: Rob talk us through. I know that there's been quite
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  Speaker 2: a few announcements in recent weeks about additional flights coming
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  Speaker 2: in and out of the Northern Territory. That's obviously had
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  Speaker 2: an impact, but also some of those planes I'm assuming
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  Speaker 2: maybe we're seeing larger planes with greater capacity coming in.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's the strength of the growth. So we're
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  Speaker 3: getting bigger aeroplane. So we're now seeing the three thirty,
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  Speaker 3: which holds just short of three hundred passengers, you know,
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  Speaker 3: providing services between here and Brisbane, and we'll we'll see
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  Speaker 3: that that capacity grow as well. We're seeing maybe Virgin
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  Speaker 3: commit to more services. Corners is certainly up gauged in
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  Speaker 3: terms of bigger aircraft but also providing more services. And
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  Speaker 3: before long about the twenty first of June, we'll see
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  Speaker 3: a camera a direct service. So yeah, a lot's happening
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  Speaker 3: it's it's pretty hard to keep up with. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: the team here well versed in managing this kind of
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  Speaker 3: growth and how.
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  Speaker 2: Things going in Alice Springs. I know that it's also
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  Speaker 2: managed by Anti Airports. Do you have any numbers how
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  Speaker 2: things are going in Alice?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, Alice is Alice is bouncing back strong as well.
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  Speaker 3: So we're seeing some increases in services and I think
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  Speaker 3: the airlines are switching out to an inn umbrella or
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  Speaker 3: one ninety so that allows you know, about one hundred
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  Speaker 3: people to to come and go from ours each each service.
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  Speaker 3: So yep, certainly Alice is seeing some growth, but not
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  Speaker 3: the spectacular growth we're seeing here in Darwin. But yep,
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  Speaker 3: they're doing their bit as well.
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  Speaker 2: And Rob, are you anticipating that you know that we
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  Speaker 2: may quieten down a little bit after the dry season
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  Speaker 2: or is it really too early to tell?
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  Speaker 3: I think it is a little bit too early to tell.
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  Speaker 3: But I'll tell you what. We've got some great momentum
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  Speaker 3: and if we all bandy together, and yeah, we should
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  Speaker 3: be able to keep pushing forward and make this sustainable
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  Speaker 3: growth that we can expect each season. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: as we continue into the wet season and do you.
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  Speaker 2: Reckon those half priced flights that the government announced they
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  Speaker 2: do you reckon? They've had an impact.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the it was called the TAM system,
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  Speaker 3: so the Tourism Aviation Network support. So I think that
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  Speaker 3: just stimulated things. They've got people thinking, you know, where
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  Speaker 3: else could I go for a holiday this year? And
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  Speaker 3: clearly they're choosing choosing the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Now, I know Rob obviously with additional numbers coming through
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  Speaker 2: the airport, it is a wonderful thing, but COVID is
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  Speaker 2: still a concern. Are there extra measures that are in
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  Speaker 2: place when it comes to managing that from you know,
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  Speaker 2: from the airport for you guys.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely so. So yes, you're still required to wear
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  Speaker 3: a mask within the terminal and when you're when you're flying.
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  Speaker 3: Our cleaning regime here is I suggest it's the gold standard.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, all of those things that we've been
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  Speaker 3: working hard on will continue on through the through the
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  Speaker 3: growth way, so you have to you know where we've
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  Speaker 3: had plenty of practice and I think we're in we're
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  Speaker 3: in good shape.
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  Speaker 2: And with the with all the extra flights or with
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  Speaker 2: the increased capacity, are we seeing any routes into Darwin
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  Speaker 2: or into our springs that we've maybe not previously seen before.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, that's that's in the pipeline to increase some
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  Speaker 3: of those other destinations, So not only about visitors coming
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  Speaker 3: to today, but ensuring people the terrotor can can get
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  Speaker 3: out and explore as well. So you know, the team
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  Speaker 3: here working on other destinations and and then you know,
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  Speaker 3: as soon as we know, we'll be happy to share
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  Speaker 3: with everybody.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll be keen to find out because I know
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  Speaker 2: that you know that that's sort of been one of
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  Speaker 2: the interesting side effects I suppose that we've seen as
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  Speaker 2: well as a result of COVID, is you know, even
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  Speaker 2: seeing and again I know we can't have international flights
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  Speaker 2: at this point in time, but even seeing you know,
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  Speaker 2: flights arriving from locations like Turkey as we saw yesterday,
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  Speaker 2: you go, wow, it sort of shows you that, you
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  Speaker 2: know that we can maybe do things a little bit
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  Speaker 2: differently to what we did pre COVID.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Look, I think COVID's allowed everybody to reset and rethink,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, the clever team here at the airport
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  Speaker 3: have been working on that and working with the airlines
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  Speaker 3: to get them to think of think about doing a
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  Speaker 3: little bit differently so that you know, post COVID and
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  Speaker 3: as we as we come out of the sleep that, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: we will have some different options for everybody.
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  Speaker 2: And so when we talk about those interstate possibilities, by
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  Speaker 2: the sounds of things, there's a few on the agenda.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we work looking on a few a few different destinations,
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  Speaker 3: that's for sure.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, good stuff. Well, Rob Porter, the executive General Manager
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  Speaker 2: of Operations at NTA Airports, really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for having your.
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  Speaker 3: Chat with us. No problemle and take you.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.