Darwin International Airport
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| Darwin International Airport | |||
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| IATA: DRW - ICAO: YPDN | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Darwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin | ||
| Serves | Darwin, Northern Territory | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 103 ft (31 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 11/29 | 11,004 | 3,354 | Asphalt |
| 18/36 | 5,000 | 1,524 | Asphalt |
Darwin International Airport (IATA: DRW, ICAO: YPDN) is the only airport serving Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is located 13 kilometres northeast of Darwin's CBD in the suburb of Marrara. It shares runways with the Royal Australian Air Force's RAAF Base Darwin.
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[edit] History
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
In 1919, when the England to Australia air race was announced, Darwin Airport was established in the suburb of Parap to act as the Australian Terminal. It operated as two airports, a civilian airport and a military field. In 1945 the Department of Aviation made the existing Darwin military airfield available for civil aviation purpose. As a result, the civilian airport at Parap was closed down and airport operations combined with the military airport.
Between 1950 and 1974 Darwin Airport acted as the primary domestic and international airport for the Northern Territory and a very important stop for airlines such as Qantas. After Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin and flattened the city, the airport was re-built. The passenger terminal has four aerobridges, and was opened in December 1991. It replaced a facility that dated from the 1940s.
[edit] Today
Darwin Airport has only one terminal for both domestic and international services. The terminal has several food outlets and shops, with duty-free shopping for international travellers. Flights are scheduled to destinations in the Northern Territory,all mainland Australian capital cities (except Canberra), as well as flights to Broome, Cairns and to international destinations such as Singapore, Dili (East Timor), and Bali. It is also an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle.[1]
During 2005-06 a total of 1,219,378 revenue passengers passed through Darwin International Airport (consisting of 116,454 international, 1,019,870 domestic and 83,054 regional).
[edit] Aircraft
Commercial passenger aircraft most commonly seen at Darwin International Airport include Airbus A319, A320 and A330, Boeing 717, 737 and 767, Beech 1900, Fokker F100, Dash 7, Dash 8 and Embraer Brasilia, and sometimes a Boeing 747.
Darwin International Airport is extensively used by a wide range of general aviation aircraft as well as military aircraft that use the adjacent RAAF Base Darwin.
[edit] Future of Darwin Airport
Australian low-cost carrier, Jetstar Airways, has expressed a keen interest in developing Darwin Airport as a hub for its trips to Asia. With the close proximity to South-East Asia, Jetstar anticipates that it will be able to make flights using smaller aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 to fly anywhere within 4 hours of Darwin. Most of the traffic on the routes will come from Southern Australian Cities. This will allow one-stop flights to less popular destinations. Destinations that have been considered include Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines and Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia.[citation needed] New Australian low cost carrier, Tiger Airways, has also expressed interest in making Darwin Airport its second hub.[2]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Airnorth Domestic | Broome, Elcho Island, Gove, Groote Eylandt, Kununurra, Maningrida, McArthur River, Perth | Domestic |
| Airnorth International | Denpasar/Bali, Dili, Kupang | International |
| Garuda Indonesia | Denpasar/Bali | International |
| Qantas Domestic | Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney
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Domestic |
| Qantas International | International | |
| Skywest | Broome, Perth | Domestic |
| Tiger Airways Australia | Melbourne | Domestic |
| Tiger Airways | Singapore | International |
| Vincent Aviation | Groote Eylandt, Cairns | Domestic |
| Virgin Blue | Brisbane, Melbourne [ends August 2008] | Domestic |
