| Canberra Airport (previously Canberra International Airport) Fairbairn |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbairn viewed from Mount Ainslie | |||
| IATA: CBR – ICAO: YSCB | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd | ||
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,888 ft / 575 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17/35 | 8,882 | 2,680 | Asphalt |
| 12/30 | 5,509 | 1,679 | Asphalt |
Fairbairn was a base of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) located in Australia's national capital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Over the years the name of the establishment, and the use of the land, has changed. The land occupies the "North East quadrant" of what is currently known as Canberra Airport; see that page for additional information.
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RAAF squadrons were permanently based at the Canberra Aerodrome from 1939. The base was formally established as RAAF Station Canberra on 1 April 1940. It became Headquarters RAAF Canberra in 1953 at the cessation of the Korean War, and was renamed Fairbairn Airbase after the late Minister for Air and Civil Aviation James Fairbairn, Member of the Australian House of Representatives, who was killed in an aircraft crash in the proximity of the airfield on 13 August 1940. In December 1960 the base was selected as the locality for the RAAF Staff College, and in 1962, the area was renamed RAAF Base Fairbairn.
The Defence Reform Program (DRP) determined the base was no longer required and on 28 May 1998 the lease on the base was sold to Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd.[1] Part of the base was sub-leased back to the (Australian) Department of Defence on a five-year lease to allow the progressive wind up of operations. The base was decommissioned on 27 June 2003 and the domestic area became known as Defence Establishment Fairbairn, with Canberra International Airport[2] and the Capital Airport Group[3] having full control of the airfield and the site.
The only remaining military unit is No 34 Squadron, which is responsible for the operations of the airforce's VIP transport aircraft which are used to transport Australian officials such as the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, the Governor General, the leader of the opposition and high ranking defence force officers when travelling both internationally or within Australia.
Besides being the home base of No 34 Squadron's special purpose VIP Boeing 737s and Bombardier Challengers, Fairbairn is also regularly used by other defence force aircraft.
The airport is used by official aircraft carrying foreign heads of state or government when visiting Canberra, for example when the US President visits Canberra, Air Force One lands there.
Fairbairn was also home to No 28 Squadron (Active Reserve Squadron) until it was relocated to HMAS Harman when Fairbairn was decommissioned.
In 2006, Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd, and the airport management company Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd, jointly released a prospectus[4] and embarked on a building program in the area now called "Fairbairn".[5] These new buildings have been leased and are occupied by the Department of Defence[6] and other tenants.
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