CEO and managing director Julieanne Alroe.
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BRISBANE Airport Corporation CEO and managing director Julieanne Alroe has been in the job for about 10 months and believes Brisbane is in good stead for the future.
Ms Alroe said she would give the airport a B+ because it was ``young, energetic and enthusiastic, with much potential and room to grow''.
``I expect it to be an A+ airport within the next five years as it grows into its skin, matures and gains the self-confidence to play with the big kids internationally,'' she said.
Since taking the helm last July, Ms Alroe boasts some impressive milestones.These include the Brisbane Airport 2009 master plan being approved and the new $220 million northern access road, Moreton Drive, being delivered.
``The Moreton Drive project was definitely a milestone a taxi driver who didn't know who I was told me to tell the person responsible that it was `bloody marvellous', which was good,'' she said.
Brisbane Airport was the highest-ranked airport in Australia in the 2008-2009 ACCC report on airport performance, and the best airport in Australia and number 18 in the world in the 2010 Skytrax world airport awards.
``There was a real buzz over the ACCC quality rating because we were the only airport in the country to be rated well by passengers, airlines and the Government,'' she said. ``The challenge now is to keep it.''
On top of all that, Tiger Airways started flying in and out of Brisbane at the end of March and just over a month ago the Federal Government announced the end of loud jet aircraft coming into Brisbane after three years of lobbying by BAC.
But what's in store for the future?
Over the next 20 years, domestic passenger numbers are forecast to double and Ms Alroe said good planning, technology, and community engagement were all required to keep up.
She said there were plans for $4.2 billion to be delivered by BAC in the next 20 years.
``Our role is to ensure Brisbane Airport is an accessible, efficient, customer-friendly, and passenger-friendly gateway for Queensland and Australia,'' she said.
``It plays a vital role in the connectivity, liveability, and competitiveness of Brisbane and Queensland.''
Ms Alroe said BAC was looking to optimise opportunities over the next five years to continuallyimprove the airport.
There will be a domestic terminal upgrade and expansion, a nine-storey carpark for the domestic terminal, a parallel runway, more work on sustainability, a BAC experience centre, and community forums.
