‘We’re not done yet’: Airport CEO Stephen Byron on continued investment in Canberra.

From two tin sheds in a sheep paddock to the modern terminal it is today, Canberra Airport’s stunning transformation is powering towards an ambitious goal: to be the best small airport in the world.

Canberra businessman Terry Snow and his family, founders of Capital Airport Group (CAG), purchased the airport from the Australian government in the late 1990s. In 2016, a $420 million redevelopment saw passenger numbers double, and the introduction of two international carriers.

The airport is today enveloped by a thriving commercial and business precinct, including Fairbairn Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) base, the award-winning Brindabella Business Park and Majura Park Shopping Centre.

CAG’s Canberra property portfolio is diverse and includes acclaimed residential suburb Denman Prospect, along with Constitution Place, a $300 million work precinct  in the heart of Canberra city. It’s all part of the group’s commitment to making Canberra the most vibrant and liveable city in Australia.

Speaking about the dynamic evolution and maturity of the city, CAG CEO, Stephen Byron, believes the airport’s internationalisation gave Canberra the confidence it deserved.

Connecting Canberra to the world

The move opened Canberra’s ability to serve new markets. 

“It gave us a much more outward-looking focus, particularly in terms of business, modern tech businesses and the like,” Stephen says.

The city stepped up its exporting as a result. As Stephen explains: “Anything from oysters to cherries, through to defence equipment, technical equipment … it just became so much easier for Canberra businesses to build relationships with people outside of Australia.”

Collaborating with smart, family-owned local businesses for a big world outlook

The dream new international airport terminal was built in partnership with Canberra building companies and contractors.

“It was a Canberra firm that did the air conditioning. It was a Canberra firm that delivered the glass, that delivered the petitions, that did the tiling, that built the retail fit-outs,,” Stephen says. “The reality is Canberra businesses have the skills, the expertise and the staff that got in and rowed the boat with us.”

CAG trusts its staff to think with a mindset of the customer and to share the Group’s big dreams for the capital.

“We describe it as the best small airport in the world, because there’s a modest reality about the scale of that,” Stephen says. “But our dream is to do that in a really excellent way and to have the best tenants and the best businesses having great staff that are really well looked after in the premises.”

Continued investment in an exciting city

“I’m not done yet,” Stephen says. “Canberra is such an exciting city to invest in. There is so much potential to build the quality of our city as well as the capability of our workforce.

“I think it’s the opportunity, with a very blank canvas, to create a community, and infrastructure that will be there not just for five, ten and 15 years, but that will be a legacy in 100 years’ time and will be a backbone of Australia’s national capital as our country grows and evolves over the next century.”

He encourages other businesses to invest here, too.

“We’re a very astute population, a very demanding customer base. And that’s an opportunity to test your product and improve it.

“It’s the people that are here. The positiveness, the optimism, the ability because we know each other and trust each other to fix things that need fixing, to cut through red tape. The opportunity is there to get things done.”

A commitment to further evolution

There’s a strong focus on continued evolution for CAG to do it even better. The company built the first 5-star Green Star building in Australia. Now, its buildings are 100% electric and 100% powered from solar and renewable energy.

“I feel very excited about what lies ahead,” Stephen says. 

“We’ll go from having one or two international destinations to having five or six over the next five years.

“There are a great number of businesses that are striving for excellence in Canberra, and that’s been a core part of their success. We’re not the only business here trying to be the best in the country or the best in the world.”