Mackay Airport

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“MKY” redirects here. For the airport with this FAA location identifier, see Marco Island Airport.

Mackay Airport
IATA: MKY - ICAO: YBMK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Mackay Port Authority
Serves		Mackay, Queensland
Elevation AMSL		19 ft (6 m)
Coordinates		21°10′15″S, 149°10′58″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
14/32	6,499	1,981	Asphalt
05/23	4,409	1,344	Asphalt

Mackay Airport (IATA: MKY, ICAO: YBMK) is located in Mackay, Queensland, Australia.

1 History
2 Mackay Airport today
3 Airlines Servicing Mackay Airport
4 External links

[edit] History

Moves to establish an airport at Mackay began in 1927, when Captain Ron Adair selected the site of the town commons for the construction of an aerodrome, and landed the first plane in Mackay there, his own Avro biplane. The Mackay City Council agreed in February 1930 to apply to excise land from the commons for aviation purposes, and the controller of civil aviation in Australia issued an airport licence on 9 March 1931. The airport opened later that year.

In 1938, the airport held an airshow featuring ten aircraft, which attracted over 8,000 spectators.

Mackay Airport had grass landing strips until 1940, when the Commonwealth Government extended the airport's boundaries and upgraded the runways to unsealed gravel for use during World War II. Until 1945, Mackay Airport served as an important operational military base due to its proximity to the South West Pacific Area. In 1948, the main runway was extended, and in 1958 it was further upgraded, sealed and strengthened.

In 1941, the Commonwealth Government took control of the airport from the Mackay City Council, and built a new passenger terminal in 1953. In 1984, the government offered control of the airport back to the council, which refused. It then offered the airport to the Mackay Port Authority, then changed its mind and announced the airport would be run by the Federal Airports Corporation. This move prompted an angry local reaction in Makcay, which eventually lead to the port authority gaining control of the airport.

[edit] Mackay Airport today

Mackay Airport is used by all three major airlines operating in Australia: Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar, and Virgin Blue.

Despite the collapse of airlines Ansett Australia and Flight West in 2001, Mackay Airport has experienced considerable growth in recent years, due to the use of the airport by Virgin Blue and the expansion of QantasLink services, and handles over 320,000 passengers through the terminal per annum.