Newcastle Airport's work health and safety department has taken a regional award for its employee health and wellbeing program.
The regional airport, which has been battling a recent loss of passenger numbers to Sydney, was awarded the best "health and wellbeing program" at the Hunter Safety Awards on Friday, March 15.
The accolade, which the airport said in a statement reflected its "comprehensive approach to employee health and safety", follows an earlier win in 2023.
"We are a strongly values-based organisation and believe that fostering a culture of inclusivity and support not only enriches our employees' lives but also drives our collective effort towards our purpose, of being the airport the region deserves," The airports' WHS boss, Georgina Chalker, said.
"This recognition from the Hunter Safety Awards validates our efforts and inspires us to continue enhancing our health and wellbeing program."
Last month, the airport launched a campaign to try to stem losses of passengers from within the Williamtown flight catchment to Sydney, and said increased passenger numbers could help build towards more flights and routes.
The Williamtown catchment spans from Gosford to Tamworth, and takes in Armidale, Port Macquarie and Scone, and is serviced by the sixth largest regional airport in the country. But a 2022 Deloitte study showed only about two thirds of the 3.92 million passenger flights in and out of the Williamtown airport's catchment in 2019 - the last full year before COVID-19 disruptions - were from Newcastle Airport.
While the biggest source of passenger "leakage" is international flights, many chose Sydney for domestic flights as well, the study found.
The campaign and awards nod, came amid the ongoing $110 million Newcastle Airport expansion which was delayed in January and is now expected to be finished in mid-2025.
The federal government is contributing $55 million to the terminal.
The airport, which is owned jointly by Newcastle and Port Stephens councils, has borrowed the rest from the Commonwealth Bank as part of a $240 million debt arrangement to fund the terminal and develop the nearby Astra Aerolab commercial precinct.
The government is also spending $66 million upgrading the runway for the air force and so the commercial airport can accommodate wide-body passenger planes capable of flying international routes.
In the statement released on Friday, the Airport said as it "continues to evolve, it remains focused on upholding these values, ensuring a supportive and engaging environment for all its team members".
The Hunter Safety Awards recognise companies and business people in the region who are "demonstrating best-practice and innovative approaches" to WHS regulations.
