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Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries of the
City of Belmont The City of Belmont is a local government area in the inner eastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about east of Perth's central business district on the south bank of the Swan River. The City covers an are ...
,
City of Kalamunda The City of Kalamunda is a local government area in the eastern metropolitan region of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about east of Perth's central business district. The area covers , much of which is state forest rising into ...
and the City of Swan. Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport, the other civilian airport within the mainland
Perth metropolitan area The Perth metropolitan region or the Perth metropolitan area is the administrative area and geographical extent of the Western Australian capital city of Perth and its conurbation. It generally includes the coastal strip from Two Rocks in t ...
located about south-southwest of the general aviation area of the airport, recorded a combined total of 362,782 aircraft movements in 2017. Since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Ltd under a 99-year lease from the Commonwealth Government.


Location

The airport is located approximately east of the Perth central business district. It is one of three civilian airports within the Perth metropolitan area, the others being Jandakot Airport and Rottnest Island Airport. Besides the civilian airports, there are also two military airports within the Perth metropolitan area. The larger of the two is RAAF Base Pearce, to the north of Perth Airport, at Bullsbrook. The other is south west of Perth Airport, and is a part of the military base of HMAS Stirling on Garden Island.


Growth and impact

The airport saw strong passenger growth from 2000 to 2012, primarily due to the state's prolonged mining boom and an increase in traffic from international low-cost carrier airlines. By the end of June 2012, Perth Airport experienced passenger growth of 11.7% internationally and 6.9% domestically, resulting in an overall increase of 10.3%. Passenger numbers trebled in the 10 years from 2002 to 2012 with more than 12.6 million people travelling through the airport in 2012. Since 2012, the winding down of the mining boom has seen the demand for both intra- and interstate services contract, with domestic passengers falling from a peak of 9.9 million (as of June 2013) to 9.5 million by the end of June 2016. The growth in passenger numbers since 2012 has been wholly due to expansion of international services from the city. The first mining boom in 1979 had 679,000 passengers use the airport. This number now travels through the airport every eighteen days. As well as passenger movements however, complaints about the impact of the airport on the residents of Perth have grown. The
City of Canning The City of Canning is a local government area in the southeastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about southeast of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and had a population of approximatel ...
, one area that is affected, accepts that “
aircraft noise Aircraft noise pollution refers to noise produced by aircraft in flight that has been associated with several negative stress-mediated health effects, from sleep disorders to cardiovascular ones. Governments have enacted extensive controls that a ...
is an important issue” and that “ tdoes impact heavily on those suburbs under the flightpaths.” Another affected area, the City of Swan, “has experienced significant issues.” Indeed, planning policy adopted by the
Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
recognises that some aircraft noise is “not compatible with residential or educational” land use, two fundamental uses of land in any
conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...
that is home to over two million residents—such as Greater Perth.


History


Early days

Prior to the opening of the Perth Airport, civilian air services for the city were provided from
Maylands Aerodrome Maylands Airport (also known as Maylands Aerodrome, Maylands Airfield) on the Maylands Peninsula, in Maylands, Western Australia, was the main landing place of a significant number of record breaking flights in the early stages of flight in Aust ...
as well as on the city's foreshore at Langley Park. By the end of the 1930s, it became clear that the Maylands Aerodrome was limited in the size and speed of aircraft it was able to handle thus causing them to seek an alternative site for a future airport. Site selection and preparation of the original plans was undertaken by Mr N M Fricker of the Department of Civil Aviation. In 1938, land was selected and purchased for the new aerodrome. The site selected in what was at the time
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
, was an area of land granted by Governor James Stirling to local man John Scott, which later became the long disused Dunreath Golf Course. A plaque located on a roadside wall of the old International terminal remains in permanent memory of Scott:


Military operations

Even before civil aviation operations could commence at the new site, the onset of World War II saw the facility being redesigned for military purposes as a temporary base for the
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
and United States Navy, known as "RAAF Station Guildford", primarily to supplement RAAF Base Pearce. Royal Australian Air Force No. 85 Squadron was based there from February 1943. Despite military use of the airfield, civil services operated by
Qantas Empire Airways Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
and Australian National Airways (ANA) commenced from the location in 1944. This was despite bitter protest from military authorities who felt civilian operations would undermine the defence and camouflage needs of the location. The move was agreed to by the government, as the larger types of aircraft of the day being operated by the two airlines could simply not be handled at Maylands, notwithstanding the small grass airfield, lack of passenger facilities, and approaches being difficult due to surrounding industrial infrastructure. Using
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
aircraft, ANA flew the first commercial service from the aerodrome to Adelaide. On 17 June 1944, Qantas made its inaugural flight to
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
via
Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...
using a modified
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
, arriving in Perth on 3 June 1944 having been released to the airline by the
British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
.


Early civilian operations

Full civilian operations at the Guildford Aerodrome commenced in 1944. Civil operations at Maylands continued albeit reduced until 30 June 1963, when the airport closed and its function as a secondary airport was taken over by Jandakot Airport the very next day. Guildford Aerodrome was at best only a basic airfield. On a large open airfield with plenty of space, an unobtrusive control tower was hidden away amongst a collection of buildings inherited from the wartime operations at the site. The Department of Civil Aviation inherited a large number of operating vehicles from the former military occupants, including an assortment of vehicles including Blitz wagons,
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
command cars and weapon carriers, large trucks and various makes of fire tenders, jeeps and ambulances. Boarding aircraft at Guildford was described as being a bit like boarding a bus given the lack of passenger facilities at the time. In 1948, the Horrie Miller owned MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) relocated from Maylands to Guildford. followed by newly formed government airline Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) on 2 December of that same year, operating Douglas C-54 Skymasters on its Perth – Melbourne –
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
route. Due to the lack of road transportation across the Nullarbor Plain, it was at this time that Guildford became the scene of very busy cargo operations. Fresh fruit, vegetables and manufactured goods were being flown from east to west and back again. The airport was granted international status in September 1952, and renamed from Guildford Aerodrome to Perth Airport in March 1953. Officiated by the Federal Minister for Civil Aviation, Hubert Anthony, the official ceremony for the renaming took place on the main apron in front of a converted Bellman hangar used by TAA as its passenger terminal. At the time, a new international terminal building was under construction but had not been completed in time for the ceremony. This new terminal was being constructed using steel and cladding recycled from American-built military quonset buildings being dismantled and shipped over from Manus Island. It was also on this day that Qantas commenced its Wallaby service using Lockheed Constellations from Sydney to South Africa via Perth, the Cocos Islands and Mauritius.


The jet age

Towards the mid-1950s, airline travel was still being used by only a small percentage of the population. At that time, only 8% of the population had ever flown, but as the marketplace evolved, so did the types of people and their reasons for flying. It was at this time the airport began to experience the full effects of the jet age. Although both Air India and Qantas commenced operating
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
s in the mid to late 1950s from Perth to Singapore and the sub continent the aircraft of the day grew faster and more demanding due to their sophistication, facilities at the airport continued to improve to accommodate them. By the mid-1960s the airport commenced seeing its first domestic pure jet engine aircraft, commencing with a Boeing 727 in 1964, and the Douglas DC-9 in 1967, both types operated by TAA and Ansett ANA. It was at this time that the airport was one of the few major airports in the country which operated without curfews, and due to the increased number and frequency of flights operating from the airport it gave birth to what was then referred to as ''the midnight horror'' or ''red-eye special'', known in more recent history as the red-eye flight.


Demise of the hangar terminals

In 1960, the then international terminal previously constructed from steel and cladding from Manus Island was dismantled and then re-erected in the suburb of Cannington. Known as The Alco Building, it was re-designed for use as a commercial facility. The removal of the steel structure made way for the construction of an entirely new combined domestic and international passenger terminal, constructed on the northern side of the airfield. It was in 1962 that airlines were able to move from their hangars into a new combined passenger terminal, designed by the Commonwealth Department of Works and opened just in time to handle
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth. The ...
traffic increases. The new combined terminal was opened that same year by then Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator
Shane Paltridge Sir Shane Dunne Paltridge KBE (11 January 1910 – 21 January 1966) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served in the Menzies Government as Minister for Shipping and Transport (1955–1960), Civil Aviation (1 ...
; it was built in an area positioned between the present Terminals 3 and 4 and is currently used as the crew base for both Qantas and Skywest, and offices for airlines and support firms.


International terminal development

From 1962 onwards, both the domestic and international passenger operations at the airport were provided by a single terminal. However, by the arrival of the
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
on 3 September 1971, the existing terminal had reached its capacity, and modelling of future passenger numbers showed it would be unable to handle any further increases in passenger demand. In November 1980, the Federal Transport Minister, Ralph Hunt, announced that a new international terminal would be built in Perth at a cost of $26 million (1980). Design of the new International Terminal commenced in 1982, with one of the key principles of the design being the allowance for easy future expansion as the needs of the airport dictated. The project called for the construction of a new terminal, apron, airside roads, access roads, car parks and other passenger facilities. Construction of the new International Terminal and control tower commenced in March 1984 on the south-eastern side of the airfield. In 1984, the road leading to the new terminal, Horrie Miller Drive was named in honour of local aviation pioneer Horrie Miller. The terminal was officially opened on 25 October 1986 by Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
, with the new terminal receiving passengers just days after. The newly built control tower was the tallest in Australia at its time of construction, and remains the tallest in Australia. Upon completion, the terminal was able to process up to five
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
aircraft per hour and accommodated a peak passenger volume of 6,000 passengers per hour. Twenty years later, in the 12 months to June 2006 the terminal processed over 2.027 million passengers, surpassing a 1996 projection of 1.016 million passengers in that period.


1988 onwards

In the late 1980s the Federal Government, as a prelude to eventual privatisation, formed the
Federal Airports Corporation The Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) was a business enterprise of the Government of Australia responsible for the operation of major passenger airports in Australia. It was established by the Hawke Labor Government by an Act of Parliament in ...
(FAC). In 1988, the FAC took over as manager of Perth Airport (and many other Australian airports). At this time also, airline operators Qantas and
Ansett Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into adminis ...
set about on ambitious capital works programs to construct new domestic terminals for their respective airlines on the northern side of the terminal, where they still stand to this day. In 2001, after the financial collapse of Ansett, the Ansett terminal became a multi-user terminal, catering for flights from former Ansett-subsidiary
Skywest Skywest may refer to: *SkyWest Airlines, an airline serving the United States, Canada and Mexico **SkyWest, Inc., the parent company of SkyWest Airlines *Skywest Airlines, now operating as Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Virgin Australia R ...
, as well as Virgin Australia and now charter airlines including
Alliance Airlines Alliance Airlines Pty Limited based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia with operational bases in Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth, Townsville, Darwin and Rockhampton. Alliance Airlines owns and operates a fleet of Fokker and Embraer aircra ...
and previously
Air Australia Strategic Airlines Pty Ltd, trading as Air Australia Airways was an Australian airline flying domestic and international scheduled passenger flights. Strategic Aviation, a sister company, flew air charter flights using the Air Australia flee ...
. In July 1997 Perth Airport Pty Ltd took up a 99-year lease as part of the Federal Government's push to privatise airports. As at February 2021, Utilities Trust of Australia (38%) and
Future Fund The Future Fund is an independently managed sovereign wealth fund established in 2006 to strengthen the Australian Government's long-term financial position by making provision for unfunded superannuation liabilities for politicians and other pu ...
(30%) were the major shareholders. From 2003 to 2004, the International terminal underwent major internal refurbishments to provide an increased array of passenger services, including increased space for duty-free stores and food and beverage concession stands. Further upgrades valued at $25 million (2006) were made to the terminal across 2005 and 2006 which added an additional of floor space, additional check-in counters, and an improved baggage handling and screening system. The airport commemorated its 60th anniversary in 2004, with an event that opened the new ''Taxiway Sierra'', a new taxiway supporting larger aircraft such as the
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
, Airbus A340 and Airbus A380. On 14 October 2008, the Airbus A380 made its first visit to the airport as a part of Qantas' A380 promotional tour around Australia. The second A380 to visit the airport was an
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...
aircraft which made an emergency landing on 15 August 2009, after a passenger on a Dubai to Sydney flight suffered a stroke. In 2012, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a report rating the Perth Airport as the worst in Australia, as judged by airlines. The same report rated it below satisfactory for the second year in a row. However, due to recent expansions and projects, the airport was awarded Capital City airport of the year by the Australian Airports Association at their national conference in 2016. In 2018, Perth Airport was named the best airport in Australia for overall service quality by the ACCC after the completion of a $1 billion redevelopment project over the span of 5 years. Terminal 2 was officially opened on 28 February 2013, with the first flights operating out of the terminal on 2 March 2013. The single story terminal was designed to provide; *
At-grade At-grade may refer to: * At-grade intersection, a crossing between roads on the same level * Road junction *Level crossing, where a road or path crosses a railway on the same level * Diamond crossing, where two railway tracks cross * At-grade railwa ...
access to terminal building, * 16 common use check-in counters, including space for self-service and bag drop technologies, * Centralised passenger security screening zone, * Three baggage reclaim belts, * Dedicated pick-up and drop-off lanes at the front of the terminal, * 14 aircraft bays, accessible from enclosed walkways and serviced by 8 boarding counters, and * 36 additional aircraft parking bays. In April 2015 works commenced on a $42 million upgrade of the forecourt and the passenger pick-up/drop-off areas in front of Terminal 1 to improve access. The upgrade was completed in November 2016. In May 2015, Emirates commenced the first Airbus A380 service to Perth from Dubai following the completion of a dual level boarding gate, an expanded check-in hall, a refurbished departure area and other expansions to Terminal 1 including a new Emirates business class lounge. In August 2017, Emirates replaced its last remaining Emirates Boeing 777-300ER service with an Airbus A380, taking the total Emirates daily services to two. However, this service was replaced by a Boeing 777 in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. On 1 November 2022, the first regular A380 service resumed. On 22 November 2015 the domestic pier of Terminal 1 was opened; the pier became the exclusive home to Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia's partner,
Etihad Airways Etihad Airways ( ar, شَرِكَة ٱلْاِتِّحَاد لِلطَّيْرَان, sharikat al-ittiḥād li-ṭ-ṭayarān) is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa ...
began daily direct services from its hub in Abu Dhabi on 16 July 2014; the pier ensures quick and seamless transfers between the two airlines. The pier will also be connected to Terminal 2 via an elevated walkway allowing seamless transfer to Virgin's regional services without having to be re-screened. On 15 May 2016, the world's largest commercial jet airliner, the Antonov An-225 ''Mriya'' landed at Perth Airport, making its first visit to Perth and Australia. On 3 November 2016, construction of a commuter rail link to the airport was started, with Airport Central station on the Airport line linking the future consolidated terminal precinct with the greater Transperth railway network. The Airport line, which opened on 9 October 2022 and is underground below Perth airport, converges with the Midland line at Bayswater station. Also constructed was a pedestrian "skybridge" linking the station to Terminal 1. On 11 December 2016, Qantas announced that it would commence non-stop flights from Perth to London Heathrow with one of its newly acquired Boeing 787 Dreamliners. To achieve this the Qantas domestic terminal at T3/T4 was upgraded during 2017 to cater for international flights. Once completed the existing Qantas flights to Singapore and Auckland also migrated to the same terminal. Services started in March 2018.


Facilities and services

Perth Airport has five terminals: four main terminals and one minor terminal. * On the eastern side of the airport (and the location of the future consolidated terminal precinct) is, ** Terminal 1 (T1), originally the International terminal, caters for flights originating or departing outside Australia, with five jetways and a total of eight gates including a Multi Access Ramp System which allows dual boarding of aircraft including the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380. There are four airline lounges: the
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...
lounge; Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge; the Air New Zealand Lounge and Qantas Captains Club. The Emirates lounge has a second level and offer direct boarding on their flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. In November 2015, a new domestic pier opened at the west end of T1 to service Virgin Australia domestic flights. ** Terminal 2 (T2) is located to the immediate south west of T1. Virgin Australia Regional and Alliance commenced operations from T2 in 2013 whilst Rex Airlines commenced operations from T2 in 2016. * On the western side of the airport are the remaining terminals, ** Terminal 3 (T3) has five jetways and a total of nine gates. Since 23 November 2015, it is currently used by Jetstar, although some Qantas services also operate from the terminal. It was the previous location for Virgin Australia and had a recently expanded member lounge, which utilised the space from the former Ansett Golden Wing Club / Alliance Airlines Lounge. The Qantas Group has exclusive use of both T3 and T4 since the movement of Virgin Australia to T1. Since March 2018, Qantas international departures have taken place at T3, having moved from T1. ** Terminal 4 (T4), the Qantas terminal, is operated by Qantas Group and is dedicated to the domestic operations of Qantas,
QantasLink QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 Qantas ...
and fellow budget subsidiary Jetstar. The terminal has four jetways and a total of nine gates. It has two member lounge: The
Qantas Club Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the List of airlines by foundation date, world's third-oldest airline sti ...
, which was expanded in March 2013 to cater for an additional 140 passengers; and the Qantas Domestic Business Lounge, which opened in 2014. In 2018 Qantas opened a new international area in T4 as it had started flights from Perth to London. The Perth Airport Master Plan outlines these terminals will ultimately be demolished and replaced by new domestic facilities east of T1. ** There is also a northern general aviation terminal simply called General Aviation that is used primarily by some charter aircraft and for mining companies with fly-in fly-out services, with Jandakot airport also serving that function.


Runways

Flights are serviced by two runways – the main 03/21 runway, and 06/24, . In 1965, Runway 03/21 was extended from to to accommodate Boeing 707s. After a 10-month project, a reconstructed cross runway was opened on 21 October 2005. The upgrades involved significant strengthening works and enlargement of turning nodes to accommodate regular operations by wide bodied aircraft, including the Airbus A380.


Meteorological services

Meteorological services for Perth Airport commenced in May 1944, provided by the Guildford Meteorological Office situated at Ivy Street, Redcliffe. In March 1988, surface observations were moved to the recently vacated old airport tower on the northern side of the airfield (near what is now Terminal 3). The Ivy Street location was retained for a time for radar services and the launching and tracking of
weather balloon A weather balloon, also known as sounding balloon, is a balloon (specifically a type of high-altitude balloon) that carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a ...
s. In October 1997, all operations from the Ivy Street Office and Old Control Tower were transferred to a newly constructed office on the Northern Perimeter Road in
Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...
, in the north-eastern corner of the airfield.


Landing patterns and approach

Perth Airport resides within the Melbourne
FIR Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...
, which is managed by
Melbourne Centre Air traffic control in Australia is provided by two independent organisations, one civilian and one military. The civilian provider is Airservices Australia, which controls civilian airfields and airspace. The military provider is the Royal Austr ...
and operated by
Airservices Australia Airservices Australia is an Australian Government owned corporation, responsible for providing safe, secure, efficient and environmentally responsible services to the aviation industry within the Australian Flight Information Region (FIR). S ...
.


Observation areas

There are two dedicated spotting areas at Perth Airport. Terminal T1 has an Observation Deck on level 3 to view departing and arriving aircraft. It has vending machines, toilets and flight information displays. The second spotting area is to the west side opposing the threshold of Runway 03 located along Dunreath Drive. The public viewing area has a shelter in the shape of the body section of a Boeing 747, and displays of information about the history of aviation.


Other services

The
Australian Transport Safety Bureau The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is Australia's national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air ...
has its Perth regional office on Level 2 of the Hkew Alpha Building on the property of Perth Domestic Airport. Since May 2014, terminals T1 International, T2 Regional and T3 Domestic have a free Wi-Fi connection currently powered by iiNet. It is accessible throughout the entirety of the departure and arrival areas. Currently, T4 Qantas Domestic also has a free Wi-Fi service provided by Qantas. The
Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC WA) is a motoring club and mutual organisation, offering motoring services and advice, insurance, travel services, finance, driver training and exclusive benefits for their members. As an indep ...
(RAC) had a purpose-built driver training facility at Perth Airport, the only one of its kind in the state. It was located towards the east of the current T1 International Terminal on Grogan Road.


Airlines and destinations

Perth Airport is served by 34 scheduled airlines flying to over 50 destinations in Australia, Oceania, Asia, Africa and Europe. A total of 1258 scheduled domestic and regional flights arrive and depart from Perth Airport each week. On the international front, a total of 213 scheduled international flights arrive and depart from Perth Airport each week. The following carriers operate to the following destinations:


Passenger


Cargo


Operations and statistics


Total

Total passengers using the airport has increased on average by 5.8% annually since 1998–99, with 70% of passenger traffic at the airport attributed to domestic travel.


Domestic


International


Ground transport


Road

Road access from the city centre to terminals T1 and T2 is via Tonkin Highway and Airport Drive, and to terminals T3 and T4 via Tonkin Highway and Dunreath Drive. All terminals are serviced by a number of private charter bus operators that can normally be accessed through most major hotels in the city centre. Transperth operates route 292, a circular route connecting terminals T3 and T4 to Redcliffe station. Transperth operates route 37, a route connecting terminals T1 and T2 to Oats Street station, on the
Armadale line The Armadale line is a suburban rail service in Western Australia that runs from Perth to Armadale on the South Western Railway. This service is planned to extend to the suburb of Byford over an new railway line constructed as part of the By ...
. A large number of taxi companies have set up operations in the past, and provide transport facilities from the airport to other parts of the city.


Rail

Situated about from terminals T1 and T2, Airport Central Station provides access to underground commuter rail services on the Airport line. Commencing operation on 9 October 2022, the Airport line is the newest in Perth's urban passenger rail system, which is part of the Transperth network. The closest
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
to terminals T3 and T4 is Redcliffe Station, also on the Airport line, at a distance of about . Passengers for Terminals 3 and 4 can catch bus route 292, a circular service from Terminals 3 and 4 to Redcliffe Station.


Accidents and incidents


During construction

* On 13 April 1987, a Hiller 12E helicopter was being used for the installation of a rotating beacon atop the control tower, then under construction. The beacon was attached to the helicopter for lifting by a chain sling. After the beacon had been lifted into place, workers disconnected the chain sling from it. As the helicopter was departing,
The hook on the sling became snagged on the tower guard rail ... causing it to pitch nose down and roll to the right. With the cable being tensioned by the pull of the helicopter the hook freed itself nd sprangwhile crashing the strike side of the tower towards the helicopter. The cable flew up around the tail boom and became entangled in one of the main rotor blades. The other main rotor blade severed the tail boom which fell free of the helicopter striking the side of the tower on its way to the ground. The major section of the helicopter then fell to the ground at the base of the tower, caught fire and was burnt out.Hiller UH12E, Perth WA, 13 April 1987: Investigation Number:198700097
at Aviation safety investigations & reports, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 5 November 1987
The accident resulted in the death of the helicopter pilot. The subsequent investigation conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Board, found that the pilot's licence was not endorsed for sling loading operations and he was not sufficiently current on the aircraft type to undertake such a job.


Accidents en route

* On 2 July 1949 a
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
, named ''Fitzroy'', departed from Perth Airport for Carnarvon. Moments after takeoff it crashed about a mile north of the airport, killing all 18 people on board. * On 26 June 1950 a Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, named ''Amana'', departed from Perth Airport for Adelaide. It crashed 22 minutes later, near York, Western Australia, killing 28 of the 29 occupants. The sole survivor died in a Perth hospital six days later. This accident and the
TAA Fokker Friendship disaster On 10 June 1960, a Fokker Friendship passenger aircraft operated by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) was on approach at night to land at Mackay, Queensland, Australia when it crashed into the sea. All 29 people on board Trans Australia Airlines ...
remain Australia's worst civil aviation accidents.


Emergency alternative airports

There are three emergency alternative airports for Perth, used usually in the case of fog or bad weather affecting Perth. In 2013, the state government flagged the need for a new emergency alternative airport, with Exmouth's
Learmonth Airport Learmonth Airport is a civil airport, co-located on the site of RAAF Base Learmonth, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base. The airport is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia, in Australia. Estab ...
and Adelaide Airport being inconvenient due to their significant distance from Perth. In 2017, plans for
Cunderdin Airport Cunderdin Airport is located at Cunderdin, Western Australia. Proposed redevelopment In February 2017, Western Australia-based Ascent Aviation proposed a $200 million redevelopment of Cunderdin Airport, initially to be used as a diversi ...
to become a diversion airport for Perth were put in place. In 2018, it was proposed that
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport is an airport in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The airport is south of the city. The airport handled 299,055 passengers in the 2021–22 financial year. The airport is a major hub for fly-in fly-out service due t ...
would be a better alternative than Cunderdin. In 2019,
Busselton Margaret River Airport Busselton Margaret River Airport , formerly known as Busselton Regional Airport and alternatively known as Busselton-Margaret River Regional Airport, is located in the Busselton suburb of Yalyalup, from the Busselton town centre. Busselton i ...
had its bid to become a designated alternate international airport approved.


Future development


Consolidation of terminals

The Perth Airport Master Plan 2014 aims for the domestic and international terminals to be consolidated into a single terminal on the south-eastern side of the airfield by 2024. In 2008, Westralia Airports announced their intention to complete a A$1 billion upgrade project which addresses key elements of the Master Plan while complete the upgrade project key elements of the 2014 Master Plan.


Third runway

The construction of a new runway (03R/21L) is planned. The new runway will be long and wide, while running parallel to the existing main runway and located between Terminal 1 and Abernethy Road. Although Perth Airport plans for the runway to open by 2027, if demand is high enough in the coming years, the airport will set a 2024 opening instead, the same year the terminals are expected to be consolidated.


Notes


References


Further reading

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External links

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Airservices Aerodromes & Procedure Charts
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