Perth Airport has been forced to close some of its terminals temporarily in a bid to keep costs down, as the pandemic continues to smash passenger numbers.
The airport released a statement today advising the closures would be phased in over the weekend and take full effect by Monday February 7.
Perth Airport chief executive Kevin Brown said the company’s shareholders, which included Australian workers who hold shares through superannuation funds, could not continue to pay the high fixed costs of operating the airport.
Mr Brown said the pandemic had a catastrophic impact on the aviation sector.
“Despite some huge financial losses, we’ve done the right thing by WA by keeping our runways and terminals operational,” he said.
“That has ensured the resources sector could continue to operate, that freight could move into and out of the state and that Western Australians could return home safely from overseas.”
Last year, the Airport posted its first ever loss, more than $64 million in the red.
That reflected a cost per passenger of more than $6, he said.
Only 4,000 passengers moved through Terminal 1 in January, down 90 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, he said.
