It seems that nothing will deter Terry Snow and Stephen Byron from their determination to build "the world's best small airport."
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A global financial crises, airlines being grounded, even forces of nature like giant plumes of volcanic ash, have been brushed aside by the father-and-son team as they continue to rebuild Canberra Airport from the ground up.
On a bitterly cold Canberra morning, Mr Snow and Mr Byron marked the next step in their "Air-volution" in the city's east, the unveiling of the foundation stone for the airport's west concourse terminal.
Among the many features promised in the new building, due for completion in 2013, in time for the city's centenary, the most popular with travellers might be the "Australian-first" indoor taxi rank.
But the terminal will include five new aerobridges, 12 check-in counters, new club lounges, retail and food outlets and more baggage handling facilities.
Mr Byron, the Canberra Airport managing director said this morning that with a total price-tag of $420 million, the transformation of Canberra Airport from a "brown tin shed" had been an audacious move.
The executive cited the global financial crisis, falling passenger numbers and the grounding of Tiger Airways as challenges in the way.
He says economic problems facing the United States and Europe are also a cause for concern.
But he says despite the obstacles, they are determined to revolutionise the way that Canberrans approach air travel.
"We want to try to deliver the best small airport in the world," he said.