| Adelaide Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: ADL – ICAO: YPAD
ADL
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Adelaide Airport Limited | ||
| Serves | Adelaide | ||
| Location | West Beach, South Australia | ||
| Hub for | Qantas Regional Express Airlines Virgin Australia |
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| Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 6 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 05/23 | 3,100 | 10,171 | Asphalt |
| 12/30 | 1,652 | 5,420 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passengers | 7,015,509 | ||
| Source: List of the busiest airports in Australia, Enroute Supplement Australia[1] | |||
Adelaide Airport (IATA: ADL, ICAO: YPAD) is the principal airport in the South Australian capital of Adelaide and the fifth busiest airport in Australia, servicing 7,362,000 passengers in the year ending 30 June 2011.[2] Located adjacent to West Beach, it is approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west of the city-centre. It has been operated privately by Adelaide Airport Limited under a long-term lease from the Commonwealth Government since 1998.[3]
First established in 1955, a new dual international/domestic terminal was opened in 2005 which has received numerous awards, including being named the world's second-best international airport (5–15 million passengers) in 2006.[4]
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The first Adelaide airport was an aerodrome constructed in 1921 on 24 hectares (59 acres) of land in Hendon. The small facility allowed for a mail service between Adelaide and Sydney. To meet the substantial growth in aviation, Parafield Airport was developed in 1927. By 1947, the demand on aviation had outgrown Parafield and the current site of Adelaide Airport was selected at West Torrens (now West Beach). Construction began and flights commenced in 1954.
An annexe to one of the large hangars at the airport served as a passenger terminal until the Commonwealth Government provided funds for the construction of a temporary building.[5] International services became regular from 1982 upon the construction of an international terminal. A new dual-use $260 million facility replaced both the original 'temporary' domestic and international terminals in 2005. Many have said the new terminal is grossly overbuilt, while others suggest it is well placed to capture future growth.
In October 2006, the new terminal was named the Capital City Airport of the Year at the Australian Aviation Industry Awards in Cairns.[6] In March 2007, Adelaide Airport was rated the world's second best airport in the 5–15 million passengers category at the Airports Council International (ACI) 2006 awards in Dubai.[7]
Plans were announced for an expansion of the terminal in July 2007, including more aerobridges and demolition of the old International Terminal.[8]
On 5 August 2008 Tiger Airways Australia confirmed that Adelaide Airport would become the airline's second hub which would base two of the airline's Airbus A320s by early 2009.[9] On 29 October 2009 Tiger announced it would be housing its third A320 at Adelaide Airport from early 2010.[10] Tiger Airways has since shut down its Adelaide base.[11]
The airport encountered major problems during the eruption of Puyehue volcano in Chile, the ash cloud caused flights to be cancelled nationwide, with over 40,000 passengers being left stranded in Adelaide.
The old international terminal had only one terminal with limited stores for passengers. Check in desks were much smaller opposed to now and waiting space was also more limited.
The airport was redeveloped in 2005 at a cost of $260 million. The redevelopment was managed by builders Hansen Yuncken. Before the redevelopment, the old airport terminal was criticised for its limited capacity and lack of aerobridges.
Proposals were developed for an attempt for an upgraded terminal of world standard. The final proposal, released in 1997, called for a large, unified terminal in which both domestic and international flights would use the same terminal. A combination of factors, the most notable of which was the collapse of Ansett Australia, then a duopoly domestic carrier with Qantas, and the resultant loss of funds for its share of the construction cost, saw the new terminal plans shelved until an agreement was reached in 2002.
The new terminal was opened on 7 October 2005 by the Prime Minister John Howard and South Australian Premier Mike Rann. However, Adelaide Airport Limited announced soon afterward that only international flights would use the new facility immediately due to problems with the fuel pumps and underground pipes. These problems related initially to the anti-rusting agent applied to the insides of the fuel pumps, then to construction debris in the pipes. Although international and regional (from December 2005) aircraft were refuelled via tankers, a lack of space and safety concerns prevented this action for domestic jet aircraft, which instead continued operations at the old terminal. The re-fueling system was cleared of all debris and the new terminal was used for all flights from 17 February 2006.[12]
The new airport terminal is approximately 850 metres (2,790 ft) end to end and is capable of handling 27 aircraft, including the Airbus A380, simultaneously and processing 3,000 passengers per hour. It includes high amenity public and airline lounges, 14 glass-sided aerobridges, 42 common user check-in desks and 34 shop fronts. Free wireless Internet is also provided throughout the terminal by Internode Systems, a first for an Australian airport.[13]
The first Qantas A380, VH-OQA "Nancy Bird Walton", made a historic landing at the airport on 27 September 2008, enthralling several thousand spectators who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the giant aircraft. This was a 25 minute pitstop before it flew on to Melbourne. This was one of several visits the airliner made as part of a pilot training and testing program.
As of 2011 a series of developments are either underway, approved or proposed for Adelaide Airport. In February 2011 a A$100 million building program was launched as part of a five year master plan. The developments which have been made public (whether part of the building plan or not) are listed below:
The new control tower will open in early 2012. The multi-storey car park is scheduled for completion by May 2012. The plaza frontage and walkway bridge should be completed by November 2012.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | Auckland |
| Alliance Airlines | Coober Pedy, Olympic Dam, Port Augusta, Prominent Hill, The Granities |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong |
| Cobham | Ballera, Moomba |
| Jetstar Airways | Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur |
| Qantas | Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Sydney |
| Qantas operated by Alliance Airlines for Qantaslink | Olympic Dam |
| Qantas operated by QantasLink | Port Lincoln |
| Qantaslink operated by Cobham | Kalgoorlie |
| Regional Express Airlines | Broken Hill, Ceduna, Coober Pedy, Kingscote (Kangaroo Island), Mount Gambier, Port Lincoln, Whyalla |
| Sharp Airlines | Avalon, Mildura, Port Augusta, Portland (Vic), Prominent Hill |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Virgin Australia | Brisbane, Canberra, Denpasar, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney Seasonal: Broome |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Australian air Express operated by Cobham | Melbourne, Sydney |
| Singapore Airlines Cargo | Singapore, Sydney |
| Toll Priority | Melbourne, Sydney |
| Cathay Pacific Cargo | Hong Kong, Melbourne |
| MASkargo | Sydney (occasional), Kuala Lumpur |
| Air New Zealand Cargo | Auckland |
| Qantas Freight | Sydney, Singapore |
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^4 Flights to Nadi began in June 2009, Cancelled from 6 May 2010.
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Adelaide Metro operates several JetBus buses connecting the airport to various locations in Adelaide. Skylink Adelaide[17] also operates a shuttle bus from the airport to central Adelaide. In the latest master plan there is a proposed light rail for the near future
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