Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says airlines shouldn’t have to pay in advance for the construction of Brisbane Airport’s new parallel runway, which is not due to open until 2020.
Joyce, speaking at an Australian Institute of Company Directors luncheon in Brisbane on Thursday, said “airlines are not very keen on paying for infrastructure that’s not giving them the benefits today”.
Joyce likened Brisbane Airport’s proposal to add a levy to fund the runway works to “Apple asking you, its customers … you get an iPhone 10 maybe in 10 years time – it will fix the maps problem, it will have a super-duper camera [but] you’ve got to pay for it now.”
At the same luncheon, Brisbane Airport CEO Julieanne Alroe defended the plan.
“People don’t like delays and they want to see growth, and we think a couple of dollars on a landing fee, it’s a cup of coffee, is a small price for people to pay to see Queensland growing and growing and growing.”
