State baulks at runway cut at Essendon THE Victorian government and Essendon Airport are on a potential collision course over a proposal in the airport's draft master plan to shorten the north-south runway. Essendon Airport Pty Ltd (EAPL) is considering a hospital, a hotel and retail and business expansion as part of its 20-year plan and is predicting there will be no significant rise in aviation activity, with flight movements due to rise from 53,000 a year to 57,000 over two decades.