OUR ENVIRONMENT

Townsville Airport operates under the Airports Act 1996 and Airports (Environmental Protection) Regulations 1997 (administered by the Federal Government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities & Regional Development and Local Government).

Townsville Airport is a joint user airport, comprised of three areas; the Military Area, Civil Area and Joint User Area. The Department of Defence (DoD) controls the Joint User Area and the Military Area, which is operated as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base. TAPL obtained a lease over the Civil Area in 1998 for 50 years with an option for a further 49 years.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Townsville Airport will develop and operate the Airport in an environmentally responsible and ecologically sustainable manner and address community standards and needs. Townsville Airport and its staff will:

• Develop, Manage, Maintain and Operate our facilities to achieve compliance with statutory environment requirements.
• Endeavour to prevent pollution entering the Air, Soil and Water.
• Protect the biodiversity of the Townsville Airport lease area.
• Aim for continuous improvement in our activities, especially in the areas of waste management and resource usage.
• Lead and educate its customers in minimising waste generation and environmental impact.
• Actively promote this policy and Townsville Airport’s environmental achievements to the community.
• Actively participate in regional planning and environmental improvement actions to ensure Airport activities are considered.
• Encourage an environmentally responsible culture amongst.
• Townsville Airport employees and tenants.
• Annually review this policy.
• Regularly review its environmental objectives and targets to improve environmental performance.

Click here to view the Townsville Airport Environment Policy.

TOWNSVILLE AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT STRATEGY

The Townsville Airport Environment Strategy (AES) provides the framework for the environmental management of Townsville Airport for the initial eight-year planning period (2023 to 2031) of the Townsville Airport Master Plan 2023. The AES is the fifth environment strategy prepared for the Civil Area since Townsville Airport was leased from the Commonwealth Government in 1998. It identifies how Townsville Airport Pty Ltd will meet its environmental obligations under the Airports Act 1996 (the Act) and describes the environmental responsibilities of Airport operators.

Click here to view the Townsville Airport Environment Strategy.

WILDLIFE HAZARD MANAGEMENT PLAN

The purpose of the Townsville Airport Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (the Plan) is to minimise the risk of bird and wildlife strike to aircraft operating at Townsville Airport.

Townsville Airport is responsible for bird and wildlife management on the joint user areas and as such has compiled this Plan for the use of both military and civil operators at Townsville Airport.

During the past decade, the rate of bird and wildlife strikes at Townsville Airport has ranked significantly with other Australian airports. The most significant attraction to birds is the wetland habitat at and surrounding the airport to the west and north. The airport also lies in foraging sites. Townsville Airport and its surrounds supply birds with:

• Roost and nest sites
• Food and water sources
• Thermals created by the heat of the runway

This Plan outlines the numerous defence and civil aircraft safety regulations as well as the environmental legislation that applies to bird and wildlife management.

The implementation of this Plan is based on the following four facets of bird and wildlife management:

• Deterrence
• Detection
• Harassment
• Communication

A Townsville Airport Bird Management Committee has been formed to provide a forum for this Plan and the tasks and responsibilities of its members are outlined.

The Plan also details the numerous strategies employed to manage bird and wildlife hazards on airport. These include research and trials undertaken by Townsville Airport and DoD to better understand what attracts birds to the airport, improve ways to harass them from the airport, and attempt to find a solution to deter them from the airport.

There is no one single management strategy to eliminate the bird and wildlife strike hazard at Townsville Airport. However, using the framework set out in this Plan and with the assistance of all stakeholders we can be sure of providing a comprehensive methodology for the long term reduction of bird and wildlife hazards on the airfield.

Click here to view the Townsville Airport Wildlife Hazard Management Plan

Click here to view the Townsville Airport Bird Strike Calendar

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

Townsville Airport takes a proactive approach to managing and minimising the occurence of environmental incidents. The following is a guide for incidence response:

• Implement your organisation's environmental incident response procedure which is generally included in the Operational Environmental Management Plan or Construction Environmental Management Plan
• Consider any changes to safety risks as a result of the incident
• For spills, attempt to cease discharge (i.e. turn off taps)
• Contact the Airport Reporting Officer on 0418 771 999 for airside incidents and the airport management centre on 07 4727 3211for landslide incidents
• Contain spill to prevent contaminated material entering the stormwater system
• Implement clean up measures in consultation with Townsville Airport's Environment Officer
• Report details of the incident to the Townsville Airport Environment Officer using the Townsville Airport Incident Form or an equivalent form
• Undertake investigations as required to understand the cause of the incident and identify control measures to minimise the likelihood of re-occurrence