Arabic version: تأخر تطوير مهبط إيوكلا يضطر خدمة الطبيب الطائر إلى الهبوط على الطريق السريع

According to ABC News, the Royal Flying Doctor Service continues to make risky landings on the Eyre Highway when wet weather closes the unsealed Eucla Airstrip on the Nullarbor Plain. The airstrip sits 1,200 kilometres east of Perth on the Western Australia-South Australia border, with the nearest available hospitals 500 kilometres west and 700 kilometres east.

Rain from a strong storm front closed the airstrip on October 7 as a patient needed urgent transfer from Eucla’s nursing post to Kalgoorlie Hospital. Police shut the highway in both directions for about two and a half hours so an RFDS aircraft could land and take off.

RFDS pilot Elias Hoch said road operations require extra preparation, including a low pass to check the surface, traffic and nearby signposts. The road is about nine metres wide, and members of the public had to push the aircraft backwards to position it into the wind for take-off. Mr Hoch said a road was much narrower than a runway, affecting depth perception and adding to the challenge.

Although $3.3 million was allocated in the 2024 state budget for an upgrade, work has not begun. Shire of Dundas president Laurene Bonza said the council had lobbied for about 15 years and warned the initial $4.5 million project cost was likely to rise. A state government spokesperson said funding remained available, but a full redesign, environmental clearance and confirmation of native title permissions were required.

Eucla Roadhouse owner Rasa Patupis said she had sought an upgrade for almost 30 years, while Katherine O’Dea said local families had previously used their own equipment to help maintain the runway. Ms O’Dea said managing traffic for expected road landings was a logistical nightmare and that whether the airstrip was functional could be a matter of life and death.