GOLD Coast Airport will be without vital landing equipment for up to 18 months.
Airservices Australia has confirmed the tourism capital's airport will have to beat other airports -- including Sydney and Canberra -- for priority in a slice of a $906 million infrastructure pie that could deliver the safety technology.
Pilots slammed the Gold Coast Airport for having "Third World" technology after storms last month caused dozens of missed approaches to the runway.
Some planes had to be diverted to Brisbane.
The incidents exposed the airport's inability to operate during bad weather and forced authorities to step up looking at the feasibility of installing an instrument landing system (ILS) at the airport -- Australia's sixth busiest.
An ILS guides pilots to the runway when visibility is low, giving a flight path and angle of approach.
Airservices Australia spokesman Matthew Wardell said yesterday the equipment could not just be "bought off a shelf".
Extensive consultation, investigation and installation were required and this could take 18 months or longer.
Land resumptions and development application requirements with the council could slow the process even further.
Airlines this month will meet with Airservices Australia to determine where an ILS for the Gold Coast lies on the priority list.
The airport will have to compete for priority with other airports vying for new or refurbished systems, including Sydney and Canberra. Mr Wardell said full-scale planning for an ILS could only start once it had been decided which end of the runway it should be installed.
Most recently, a new ILS was installed at Wagga Wagga. The local council which operates the airport, the Federal Government and Rex Airlines helped fund it.
"At this stage we just can't answer the question of how soon it will be installed, but clearly our position and the airport's position is to get it done as soon as possible," said Mr Wardell.
"To install it within 12 months is possible but is it likely? We just don't know.
"It is not a funding issue.
"It is a technical and engineering issue and one around what consultation is required potentially with the community to get that done."
But Gold Coast Airport chief executive officer Paul Donovan said he was confident the ILS would be installed within a year.
"I would hope it would be in place within 12 months," he said.
"We would all like to see it in place as soon as possible. The scoping is under way now. It has been totally budgeted for and no amount of extra money could advance it any quicker."
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au
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