Background
Longreach Airport is the gateway to Outback Central Queensland in Australia. Owned and operated by Queensland Airports Ltd., the airport is located off the Lansborough Highway and services the central west region covering Longreach, Winton and Barcaldine townships.
Case Summary
Location: Australia
Vertiv Solution: SmartCabinet™
Critical Needs:
Located 700 kilometres from the coast, Longreach is known as the ‘Heart’ of Queensland. The airport serves more than 3,000 passengers every month and is a hub for travellers seeking the outback experience in areas such as Mount Isa and Barkly. It is one of the oldest airports in Australia and was one of the founding centres for Qantas before being acquired by Queensland Airports in 2012.
Faced with extreme weather, one of the challenges the airport faced was bugs. Bugs, including crickets and grasshoppers, are common in the region, with the worst locust plague Longreach had experienced in 30 years occurring in 2010. These bugs can creep into IT systems and cause them to crash, forcing the airport to sweep them out every two months.
The area also suffers from extreme temperatures that can see highs of more than 45 degrees and lows below zero, putting pressure on IT systems and previously forcing the Airport to constantly replace its key IT infrastructure and restart systems daily. Outages have the potential to delay flights and require regular early starts for the airport’s staff.
