Bunbury Airport is an airport servicing the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

n city of Bunbury. Bunbury Airport is located south-east of the city centre and is the only airport serving the city. The airport is used largely as a facility for General Aviation, pilot training and emergency services. Bunbury Airport serves an area that includes the

City of Bunbury The City of Bunbury is a local government area in the South West region of Western Australia, covering an area of along the coast about south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The City of Bunbury is one of four local governments comp ...

and the surrounding districts of

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

Dardanup Dardanup is a small town in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of Western Australia. The town is in the fertile Ferguson valley and is near the Ferguson River (Western Australia), Ferguson River. The first European settlemen ...

, Capel and Donnybrook-Balingup.

History

The City of Bunbury is the owner and operator of Bunbury Airport. Council first investigated the possibility of an airstrip in 1965 and with the help of a band of enthusiastic aviators and input from the

Department of Civil Aviation A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

, the airstrip became operational in 1969. It has evolved to present day with council funds, government grants/funds, and operational input from the Bunbury Aero Club. The aerodrome is a 'registered' airport with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Recent upgrades to the airport include the following: * 2008 - construction of a new Patient Transfer Building to provide better facilities for the approximate 750 annual visits by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). * 2009 - development of an additional 15 hangar sites. * 2010 - construction of a 700 metre long parallel taxiway. * 2012 - construction of run-up bays and a helipad. * 2013 - installation of LED runway and taxiway lighting. * 2015 - development of an additional 20 hangar sites. * 2016 - construction of a rescue helicopter base. * 2017 - installation of an Automatic Weather Information Station (AWIS). * 2018 - installation of a weather camera, construction of a helipad and installation of a secondary IWI.

Operations and facilities

Bunbury Airport has a single sealed runway, 07/25 which is wide. Due to the proximity of the

South Western Highway South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about long. Route description Perth to Bunbury ...

, there is a permanently

displaced threshold A displaced threshold or DTHR is a runway threshold located at a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway. The portion of the runway behind a displaced threshold may be used for takeoff in either direction and landings from the ...

at the runway 25 end to allow sufficient clearance over the road. Because of this, the available landing distance is . The airport is currently restricted to aircraft with a maximum take-off weight less than . Runway 07/25 is equipped with low intensity, pilot activated runway lighting for night operations. There is no control tower and pilots must co-ordinate arrivals and departures using a

Common Traffic Advisory Frequency Common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is the name given to the VHF radio frequency used for air-to-air communication at United States, Canadian and Australian non-towered airports. Many towered airports close their towers overnight, keeping t ...

. Three flying schools and 1 facility operate out of Bunbury Airport, they are: AirChartersWest, Bunbury Aero Club, Bunbury Flying School and AirSportsWA. The schools and airport are a major

Recreational Aviation Australia Recreational Aviation Australia (abbreviated to RAA or RAAus), formerly known as the Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF), is the governing body for ultralights in Australia. RAAus registers ultralight aircraft and issues pilot certificates ...

approved flight training facility.List of schools in WA
Bunbury Airport currently averages 13,000 aircraft movements per annum. The airport is home to a permanent rescue helicopter base operated by the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, seasonal water bombers operated by the Parks & Wildlife Services section of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and significant visitation by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

References

External links

City of Bunbury

Department of Environment and Conservation

RFDS

{{Airports in Western Australia Airports in Western Australia RA-Aus Approved Flight Training Facilities Airports established in 1969 Bunbury, Western Australia Buildings and structures in Bunbury, Western Australia

History

Operations and facilities

See also

References

External links