Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Airports Executive General Manager Operations Peter Pallot

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with NT Airports Executive General Manager Operations Peter Pallot · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The man who's in charge of operations inside the Northern
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Territory Airport joining us on the line. ANTI Airport's executive
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: General Manager of Operations, Peter Palette. Good morning to you, Peter.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. Another interesting day it is, yes.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: And I know that the DAN situation isn't in your area,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: so we'll stick to the airport and stick to the
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: situation that's unfolding obviously with Sydney and the Northern Beaches hotspot.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: What does that mean for you guys, Well.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: I've got to say we've been preparing and getting our
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: systems better and better over the last several months, working
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: with our airline partners and working with Department of Health.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: And one of the things that we've been able to
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: do is to smooth out the arrivals of the aircraft
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: working with the airlines, which means we don't whilst we're
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: ramping up for a very busy Christmas. We're spreading it
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: out over the and that's worked really quite nicely for
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: us now with this emerging issue coming out of the
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Northern Beaches, so lots of people, less crowds with message.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Peter, were we do to have flights or I'm
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: assuming we are still do to have flights arriving from
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Sydney today, what's the process in terms of making sure
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: that those who've come from the northern beaches going to quarantine.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: So the process is pretty much going back to what
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: we were doing just two or three days ago, where
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: all of the passengers will go through a screening process
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: by a Department of health the lovely people up there,
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: and then they'll flow through. Those who've been in the
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: hotspots will be dealt with, I assume as per usual.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: But the important thing for those of us who are
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: expecting people up from down south, please make sure they
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: fill out their electronic border pass That'll make life so
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: much easier and help keep and through the system much quicker.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Peter, how many flights have we got arriving from Sydney today?
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: So it only three today and as we build up,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Monday is our busiest day. We've got forty four flights
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: in total on Monday, about two and a half thousand
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: people flowing through the terminal on Monday. And well, I
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: guess we'll, like everybody else, wait and see how things
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: pound out.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Peter, how does that compare sort of capacity
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: wise to what a normal Christmas it would be.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: So we were running at about seventy percent of what
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: we were doing last year, and if you remember, there
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: were sort of peaks and troughs through the day. We
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: were really crowded one moment and empty the next. We're
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: actually much better off this year where they're staggered pretty
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: much at forty five minute intervals through the day, which
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: is make life really comfortable for us.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Has that sort of been a real in a real
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: kind of policy setting by the NT airports and also
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: by the airlines to make sure that those flights are
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: better sort of separated time wise.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. It's a structural change to the
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: way that we operate, and it has been with the
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: fabulous cooperation of all of the airline partners as we
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: try and make sure that people are as safe as
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: they possibly can be as they travel around the country.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: And Peter, I know some might think it's a little
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: bit of a trivial question to ask, but I'm sure
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: there'll be people wondering whether the cafes and the food
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: outlets and things are opened at the airport as well
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: if they're maybe you know, rushing to get to the
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: airport after work and to get onto a flight, whether
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: they're going to be able to eat.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Beforehand, Yes, certainly all of the well sorry, most of
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: the shops are now opened. We opened another two in
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: the last two weeks, so you can get something to
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: eat and drink before you before you depart and whilst
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: you're waiting for somebody. Certainly those facilities are available. And again,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: for I guess our advice is please just be understanding
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: of the processes and just make sure that you're kind
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: to each other as you go through.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: And Peter, does how do things change on Christmas Eve
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: when you're waiting for Santa to arrive? Do the flights
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: do other flights have to be diverted?
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Oh? Look, we make sure that Santa's got a really
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: clear run at the airport. We've made sure that he's
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: got his own bay. We'll make sure there's carrots and
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: mangoes and all of the things that those reindeer will
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: really love to have, so he can get about his
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: duties here in Darwin. And hopefully the thunderstorms stay away
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: that night and so he doesn't have to dodge that lightning.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: I reckon you might want to have a nice cold
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: beer there for him as well. Just in case there's
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: lightning around to calm his nerves a little.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I'm not sure whether he's a beer man
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: or a luxamn, so it'll be interesting.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: I'm sure you'll have it all prepared, Peter, and I
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: know that all the kids listening this morning will be
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: so very pleased to hear that.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: We'll be doing our best. We'll be out there getting
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: things ready so that it's a smoother rival into Darwin
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: on Christmas Eve.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Good on you, Peter, Thank you so very much for
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: your time this morning. Have a lovely Christmas.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Katie, the same to you and all of you listening.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Thank you. That is the general manager there of operations,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Peter Pallette at the Northern Territory Airport. And I tell
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: you what lucky. Everything is nice and organized for Santa's
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: arrival on Christmas Eve. They make sure that they divert
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: the other planes so that there's you know that things
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: are nice and smooth for him and his reindeer, which
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: I know all the kids listening this morning are going
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: to be really pleased to hear