Geraldton Airport upgrades to handle overseas flights diverted from Perth

International flights unable to land in Perth will soon be able to use Geraldton Airport as an alternative emergency landing site.

Planes diverted from Perth will be able to touch down in the Mid West city once upgrades to the runway are completed in the next few months.

As part of the $22 million project, Geraldton’s runway has been extended to 2400m to allow larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A330, to land.

Plane unable to land in Perth are currently forced to fly on to Adelaide, and must carry enough fuel to make the trip.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said developing the airport and an alternative landing site was just the first step in opening the city up to a global market.

“The runway extension opens up Geraldton to be able to export freight into Asia,” he said.

“In the much longer term there’s the potential for tourism.

“It’s all about increasing connectivity first and foremost for our freight networks.”