Eric Klein speaking at the Fly From Home launch. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
A new Shellharbour Airport “Fly From Home” campaign is ready for take-off, highlighting how its stress-free travel experience and industry-leading accessibility features have put it miles ahead of most regional airports in Australia.
During Shellharbour City Council’s launch of the marketing campaign yesterday (11 August), four-time Paralympian Eric Klein and Flinders mum Jasmina Micevski, whose son has autism and was featured in the campaign, praised how transformative the airport’s facilities were for their lives.
Opened in 2021, the upgraded terminal includes step-free access throughout the terminal, a wheelchair lift to the aircraft, hearing loop systems, adult change facilities and overhead lifting equipment, passenger assistance devices for boarding, Braille signage, and participation in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program.
The multimedia campaign highlights those accessibility features, which are part of the airport masterplan and a $20 million investment by the NSW Government to upgrade the airport terminal, business park and runway.
Klein, who is on council’s disability advisory committee, has travelled extensively domestically and internationally for his sport and work, and recalls some of the experiences during the early years.
“When I first started travelling in 1973, we always had to take off from Sydney because there were no facilities down here to cater for myself and others from the area,” he said.
“There were 40-hour flights to London, with 20-hour stopovers on the plane because they wouldn’t let us get off because we were too much trouble.
“My experience when first traveling from this airport in the late 80s and 90s with work, there were turboprop planes, and unfortunately, because of airport restrictions, the airport staff weren’t allowed to help me in any way due to some sort of regulation.
“So I had to go up to the stairs of the aircraft, get onto the stair and – excuse the expression – bum my way up the stairs into the plane to get onto my seat.”
He said it was in stark contrast to his arrival destination at Melbourne Airport, where there were facilities to assist him.
“Having seen these facilities now, it’s like going from the dark ages to a very enlightening period,” he said.
He said Shellharbour Council was one of the few in Australia with a disability access and integration inclusion committee, and it was one of the few regional airports with great access facilities.
“Very few councils have the foresight to be able to work that way, and we have a central group who do a lot of work in access,” he said.
Klein said in larger airports he had long relied heavily on staff to get through basic processes – check-in security, boarding and even finding accessible bathrooms.
Jasmina’s son in the airport campaign. Photo: Shellharbour City Council.
“As someone who lives with a disability, I’ve experienced first-hand how stressful travel can be and the undignified way you can be considered when travelling,” he said.
“It’s about being spoken to and not spoken about, being recognised as a person and not just a bit of luggage that gets thrown around, and to start feeling like you want to travel and not having to travel because it’s the only way to get from point A to point B.”
Klein said accessibility was “not a nice to have; it’s a right for everyone”, and praised council for creating an airport that allowed travellers with disabilities to “travel comfortably, confidently and be part of the community”.
“Many people don’t even know we have an airport here,” he said.
“This campaign that’s been launched is helping people understand we have a great airport which accommodates everyone right here in Shellharbour.”
One of the campaign’s stars is Jasmina’s son, who has autism and helps showcase the national Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, which provides parents of children with disabilities a lanyard to signal their child may have an invisible disability while out in public.
“It provides us opportunities to make whatever experience, like an airport experience, much easier,” she said.
“It often means quiet rooms, priority check-in, and if the child is becoming deregulated, there’s options for us to quickly exit the premises without being questioned.
“It provides really strong and direct support for the parent. It makes my experience going out into the public so much easier and less stressful.”
Mayor Chris Homer said Shellharbour Airport, which ran services through Link Airways to Brisbane and Melbourne, had carved out a niche of being fully accessible, which wasn’t the norm for regional airports.
“It’s part of council’s commitment to building a vibrant, accessible and well connected city we can all be proud of,” Cr Homer said.
“We also have Greenacres Cafe Catering here, so we really are thinking about a sector that often gets ignored.”
He said the campaign highlighted to the entire Shoalhaven and Illawarra regions the benefits of the airport, with no traffic, no long queues, free parking outside the terminal and features tailored to all travellers.
“The airport is more than just a place to board an airplane – it connects Shellharbour to the rest of the country, supports local jobs, boosts tourism and creates new opportunities for our community,” he said.
“It’s a part of the master plan to have this airport operate at its full potential, because we service Australia’s ninth largest catchment area here, but in terms of airport traffic it’s operating at about the 70th.
“We’re discussing with other carriers to increase our destinations, at least on the eastern seaboard.”
Fly From Home will run across the region’s media and social media.
