Cairns Airport

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Cairns Airport (Template:Comma separated entries) is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busiest airport in Australia. The airport is located Script error: No such module "convert". north northwest[1] of Cairns or Script error: No such module "convert". north of the Cairns central business district, in the suburb of Aeroglen. The airport lies between Mount Whitfield to the west and Trinity Bay to the east.

The airport has direct flights to 10 international and 27 domestic destinations and many general aviation flights including a number of helicopter operators. Flights are operated to all major Australian cities and tourist destinations, regional communities in Far North Queensland, and a number of international destinations in the Asia-Pacific region with connections to the rest of the world. The airport formed the main base for Australian Airlines prior to its ceasing of operations in June 2006 (the airport remains a major port for parent company Qantas). It is also a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the search and rescue helicopters of the Queensland Government.[2] Cairns Airport served over 4.8 million passengers in the financial year of 2024.[3]

History

File:CA-T1-International-Upgrade-42-1-1024x682.jpg
Apron view of the international terminal in 2024

Cairns Airport goes back to 1928 when Tom McDonald started flying his de Havilland Gipsy Moth off a sand ridge near the present airport. He could only land and take off between high tides. During one emergency, McDonald was forced to take off from beer barrels.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

During World War II, the Australian Government bought the airport for use by the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1943, the main runway was hard surfaced and lengthened to handle military aircraft. It was also used by the United States Army Air Forces as a transport base, with the 33d Troop Carrier Squadron (374th Troop Carrier Group) operating from the base during 1942. In 1949, the main runway was lengthened to Script error: No such module "convert". to accommodate larger aircraft. During the mid-1960s, the airport was upgraded and the runway further lengthened to Script error: No such module "convert". and strengthened so jets could land.

During the 1970s, Australia's two domestic airlines Trans Australia Airlines and Ansett provided regular scheduled services to most Australian capital cities and also Papua New Guinea, while in 1975 Air Niugini became the first international airline to commence flights out of Cairns, to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. In 1982, redevelopment of the airport commenced. This involved further lengthening of the runway to Script error: No such module "convert". (making it the longest runway in Queensland) and construction of a new terminal building. The first stage of the redevelopment was finished in 1984 and a dual International and Domestic Terminal was opened. At the end of the decade the second stage of redevelopment was completed. This included a new separate International Terminal, associated aprons and taxiways, costing an estimated $80 million. The main runway was again extended, to Script error: No such module "convert".. In 1997, the third stage of redevelopment was completed, during which a three-storey Airport Administration Centre was constructed providing Script error: No such module "convert". of office space.[4]

A$200 million redevelopment of the Domestic Terminal started in August 2007 and was completed in 2010.[5] Check-in facilities were expanded into a common-user facility for all airlines, and the building enlarged. Five new jet bridges replaced the existing three old bridges. In January 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited announced that it had purchased 24.6 per cent of North Queensland Airports (NQA), operator of the airports at Cairns and Mackay, for about $132 million.[6]

A further upgrade of the Domestic Terminal was begun in 2019 and completed in August 2020, at a total cost of $55 million.[7][8][9] The purpose of the upgrade was to prepare the terminal to handle the domestic portion of the airport's projected 6 million passengers annually from 2027.[7] The floor area of the departure hall was increased to Template:Cvt, and an additional Template:Cvt of dining and retail facilities were added.[7] The upgrade also included expanded seating areas, a new interactive children's play screen, an upgraded Parenting Room, and a new Quiet Room.[8]

Prior to February 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Cairns Airport's chief aviation officer Luis Perez told the Cairns Post that he was in talks with 22 airlines to connect Cairns to destinations such as North America, The Republic of Korea, Taipei, Malaysia, the Middle East, India, Vietnam and the Philippines.[10]

Virgin Australia announced in December of that same year that they would be commencing a daily direct service to Tokyo-Haneda to be launched on 28 June 2023 with the newly arrived Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet.[11][12]

In early 2023, it was announced that the International Terminal (Terminal 1) would undergo its first major upgrade in April 2023 to a value of AUD$40–50 million.[13] The announced upgrades would be rolled out in stages to 'minimise passenger disruptions', the first of which would feature the installation of four new glass air-bridges and the re-cladding of the exterior of the building.

In December 2023 the airport, like all of greater Cairns, was greatly affected by the severe weather during and in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Jasper forcing it to close for several days.[14][15] In March 2024 it was announced that both Cairns and Mackay Airports would run on 100% renewable energy sources from 2025.[16][15]

Facilities

Terminals

File:CA-T1-International-Upgrade-16-1024x682.jpg
International Terminal check-in after 2024 upgrade

The airport has two passenger terminals on the eastern side of the airport on reclaimed mangrove swamp. They are approximately Script error: No such module "convert". north of the Cairns Central Shopping Centre and situated on Airport Avenue off Sheridan Street (Captain Cook Highway). The terminals are in separate buildings Script error: No such module "convert". from one another. The Domestic Terminal is number 2, and has five jet bridges and 17 gates. The International Terminal is number 1, and has six jet bridges and ten gates in total.[17]

A large and dedicated air-freight terminal termed the: 'Cairns Regional Trade Distribution Centre' was announced by the Queensland State Government Ministers in 2022. This facility will feature a 2400 square meter freight logistics hub and aim to improve the AU$40.4 million in food and agricultural exports through the airport.[18][19] This is situated partially atop the former general aviation runway 12/30.

File:Cairns Airport.JPG
Paronamic view of Cairns Airport, including airplanes of Qantas, QantasLink, Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand

Runways

The airport has a single runway (15/33) which is Script error: No such module "convert". long. The flight path to the north of the main runway is located directly overhead Cairns' northern beach suburbs. The flight path to the south is located directly over central Cairns. A smaller (Script error: No such module "convert".) runway 12/30 that was used for general aviation lies to the east; its final approach crossed the main runway. As of April 2011 this runway was closed and had been converted to a helipad area before the freight terminal's construction.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

File:Hb-ci-cairnsairportt2redevelopment-17-lowres-jpg.jpg
Domestic Terminal, 2022
File:CNS Airport 27022025.jpg
Cairns Airport on departure in 2025 with the new air-freight complex under construction

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Cargo

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Other tenants

There are operators of emergency medical retrieval and rescue services based at the airport, including Emergency Management Queensland and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.Template:Airport-Statistics

Statistics

Annual passenger statistics for Cairns Airport[20]
Year Domestic International Total Change
1998 1,915,717 688,058 2,603,775 Decrease –2.2%
1999 2,022,908 660,659 2,683,567 Increase 3.1%
2000 2,132,713 680,133 2,812,846 Increase 4.8%
2001 2,025,193 665,118 2,690,311 Decrease –4.4%
2002 2,087,643 766,256 2,853,899 Increase 6.1%
2003 2,246,566 746,561 2,993,127 Increase 4.9%
2004 2,582,591 846,846 3,429,437 Increase 14.6%
2005 2,842,947 862,184 3,705,131 Increase 8.0%
2006 2,967,077 791,709 3,758,786 Increase 1.4%
2007 3,066,414 702,048 3,768,462 Increase 0.3%
2008 3,153,171 595,461 3,748,632 Decrease –0.5%
2009 3,133,393 404,803 3,538,196 Decrease –5.6%
2010 3,254,097 495,873 3,749,970 Increase 6.0%
2011 3,361,097 504,072 3,865,169 Increase 3.1%
2012 3,569,195 511,359 4,080,554 Increase 5.6%
2013 3,754,331 492,091 4,246,422 Increase 4.1%
2014 3,857,399 460,910 4,318,309 Increase 1.7%
2015 3,975,309 545,733 4,521,042 Increase 4.7%
2016 4,208,221 642,293 4,850,514 Increase 7.3%
2017 4,278,311 662,173 4,940,484 Increase 1.9%
2018 4,283,247 662,551 4,945,798 Increase 0.1%
2019 4,126,357 651,824 4,778,181 Decrease –3.4%
2020 1,587,304 119,221 1,706,525 Decrease –64.3%
2021 2,312,189 2,490 2,314,679 Increase 35.6%
2022 3,672,627 135,262 3,807,889 Increase 64.5%
2023 3,842,622 322,541 4,292,670 Increase 11%
2024 4,091,700 625,941 4,717,641 Increase 11.1%

Domestic

Busiest Domestic Routes – Cairns Airport 2024[21]
Rank Airport Number of passengers % change
1 Brisbane 1,305,500 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
2 Sydney 919,200 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
3 Melbourne 824,800 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".

International

Busiest international routes – Cairns Airport 2024[22]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
1 Tokyo 261,086 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
2 Osaka 123,151 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
3 Singapore 95,114 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
4 Denpasar 78,727 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
5 Port Moresby 37,284 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
6 Auckland 26,176 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
7 Hong Kong 2,637
8 Shanghai 1,156 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".

Cargo

Busiest International freight routes of Cairns Airport (*route suspended) (2019)[23][24]
Rank Airport Freight handled (tonnes) % change
1 Script error: No such module "sort". 1678.9 Decrease Script error: No such module "sort".
2 Script error: No such module "sort". 1156.2 Decrease Script error: No such module "sort".
3 Script error: No such module "sort". 309.9 Decrease Script error: No such module "sort".
4 Script error: No such module "sort". 252.4 Decrease Script error: No such module "sort".
5* Script error: No such module "sort". 145.5 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
6* Script error: No such module "sort". 108.3 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".
7 Script error: No such module "sort". 68.2 Decrease Script error: No such module "sort".
8 Script error: No such module "sort". 33.5 Increase Script error: No such module "sort".

Ground transport

Taxi

Ranks are located near both the International and Domestic Terminals. Cairns Taxis taxi ranks are located immediately outside the International and Domestic Terminals.

Bus

Airport shuttle bus services to hotels, city centre, Northern Beaches, Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation are available.

Parking

Short-term and long-term parking, including a covered car park and parking for people with a disability are located within the public carparks adjacent to both the Domestic and International Terminals.

Proposed Transport Links

Cairns Metro/Airport Link

A link from the Airport to the City has been proposed as a bus line or a metro line[25]

Gallery

File:Antonov-124-at-Cairns-Airport.jpg
Antonov An-124-100 at Taking off Cairns Airport (CNS)

See also

References

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  17. ↑ Cairns Airport terminal information Template:Webarchive retrieved 25 May 2011
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  23. ↑ Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June
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External links

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