An extensive upgrade of Perth airport will help cement Perth and Western Australia's reputation as an international economic powerhouse.

The state's peak business organisation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, has been a leader in calling for facilities at Perth’s domestic and international terminals to be dramatically improved.

It has been apparent for some time that Perth airport has been buckling under the pressure of the state’s strong economic growth and unable to cope with the daily load of people travelling in and out of the state.

CCI welcomes the decision by the private owners of the airport, Westralia Airport’s Corporation, to undertake a $1 billion transformation of the terminal which involves merging the domestic and international terminals within the next seven years.

The airport is the first impression most interstate and overseas visitors get of Perth. After lengthy flights from across the country or across the world they are confronted with an ageing and inefficient piece of infrastructure. Air travel has become more difficult than it needs to be for both visitors and locals. This is not the image Perth and Western Australia want to project to the world and it is not the service that Western Australians deserve.

This is an exciting project that the Western Australian business community hopes will stimulate greater and sustainable economic growth, investment and development across the state.

Within seven years Perth will have an airport to be proud of.

It should not be a challenge solely for the private owners of the airport to overcome. The State Government must play a lead role in the upgrade by allocating sufficient funds and resources to improve the road and transport networks to and from the new terminals. This will ensure the airport upgrade will be of maximum benefit to the state.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry looks to work with the government to achieve this outcome.

Improving the links between the airport and the rest of Perth is not only needed to allow for the efficient movement of vehicles and people, but create an impressive welcoming statement to the city and leave our visitors with no doubt that they have arrived at one of the world’s leading cities.

Statement by CCI Chief Executive James Pearson