Geraldton Airport is an airport located east of

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

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 t ...

, in Moonyoonooka along the Geraldton – Mount Magnet Road. On average, from 2013 to 2017, more than 120,000 passengers used the airport annually. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"

Background

Geraldton Airport is the

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

and regular passenger transport airport for the

City of Greater Geraldton The City of Greater Geraldton is a local government area in the Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth on the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Geraldton. It was e ...

and it meets varying transport, industrial and commercial interests across the Mid West region. Geraldton Airport is the main regional base for aircraft charter operations,

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a st ...

, private flying, aerial and agricultural work and aircraft maintenance in the Mid West region. The closest significant aerodromes are Mullewa, to the east or Kalbarri to the north and for larger jet operations

Perth Airport 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 o ...

, to the south. Geraldton Airport has daily Regular Public Transport (RPT) services to and from Perth, provided by

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 Qant ...

using

Fokker 100 The Fokker 100 is a regional jet produced by Fokker in the Netherlands. The Fokker 100 is based on the Fokker F28 with a fuselage stretched by to seat up to 109 passengers, up from 85. It is powered by two newer Rolls-Royce Tay turbofans, ...

and A320 aircraft. Geraldton Airport is the base for several general aviation flying training and charter operators, namely; * Geraldton Air Charter, who purchased Abrolhos Air Services in 2002 and incorporated into business. * Batavia Coast Air Charter * Shine Aviation Services * Mid West Aero Club * OM Helicopters Shine Aviation Services conduct flying training and utilise a gazetted low flying training area to the south east of the airport. Shine Aviation Services are also a major

fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...

operator in the region. Midwest Aviation conduct aircraft maintenance and have aircraft engineers. Bristow Helicopters provide offshore support services to drill companies exploring offshore from Dongara. The

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

in Western Australia utilises the airport on an as-required basis and has an aircraft hangar which is vested in the City of Greater Geraldton adjacent to the general aviation terminal. Local charter operations from Geraldton Airport providing fly-in fly-out services include Shine Aviation to Golden Grove Mine,

Mount Magnet Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

and

Jack Hills The Jack Hills are a range of hills in Mid West Western Australia. They are best known as the source of the oldest material of terrestrial origin found to date: Hadean zircons that formed around 4.39 billion years ago. These zircons have enable ...

. Virgin Australia operates to

Boolgeeda Airport Boolgeeda Airport is an airport serving the Brockman 4 mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The airport officially opened on 27 November 2012 with a regional flight from Busselton while direct flights from Perth commenced on 3 D ...

from Geraldton, and Network Aviation (branded as QantasLink),

National Jet Express National Jet Express (formerly ''Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Regional Services'') is an Australian charter airline and aviation services provider with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. History National Jet Express Pty L ...

and

Skippers Aviation Skippers Aviation is a small regional airline based out of Perth Airport that specialises in charter flights for companies with fly-in fly-out workers. They also operate flights for the mining industry in Western Australia, as well as some sch ...

operate charters to various sites on a non regular basis. Shine Aviation and Geraldton Air Charter offer fixed wing charters and scenic flights to the Abrolhos Islands. VH-XZJ at Geraldton Airport

Geraldton is close enough to Perth to receive a significant number of private operations from aircraft based in Perth. Geraldton is also a convenient location for pilots to fly to for recreational reasons. Flying training squadrons from RAAF Base Pearce also use Geraldton Airport. They pay regular visits with

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in ...

training aircraft often staying overnight conducting circuits and cross-country navigation exercises.

C130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...

transport aircraft also use Geraldton Airport for training on occasions throughout the year.

History

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From 1941 to 1945, Geraldton was the site of No. 4 Service Flying Training School RAAF during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was formed in February 1941 and commenced flying the following month, responsible for intermediate and advanced instruction of pilots under the

Empire Air Training Scheme The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

(EATS). The school operated

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ...

aircraft and by November 1941, two

Fairey Battle The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and ...

s and two

de Havilland Fox Moth The DH.83 Fox Moth was a successful small biplane passenger aircraft from the 1930s powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Major I inline inverted engine, manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. The aircraft was designed late in 1 ...

s also operated at No. 4 SFTS. In August 1943, No. 4 SFTS had a visit from an

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stir ...

, "Queenie VI". Two reserve squadrons were formed in response to the outbreak of

war in the Pacific The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, though they never saw action. Flying activity was reduced towards the end of 1943, and the school was disbanded in May 1945, having graduated over 1,000 pilots. It re-formed as No. 87 Operational Base Unit, which was renamed Care and Maintenance Unit (CMU) Geraldton in May 1946. CMU Geraldton was disbanded in September 1947.

2018-2019 Airport Expansion Project

In 2019, the City of Greater Geraldton completed a $24 million project to expand the capacity of Geraldton Airport, with works that commenced in November 2018. The expansion project included the renewal and upgrade of the existing runway, taxiway and apron pavements as well as extension of the main runway to 2,389 metres and expansion of the main apron to accommodate larger aircraft such as the A330 and B787. Geraldton Airport will also have greater capacity as an alternative landing port for Perth Airport in the case of fog or bad weather. The city also stated that the expansion will enable development of direct interstate and international services for tourism and airfreight, and should give the private sector greater confidence to invest in Geraldton. The expansion of Geraldton Airport commenced November 2018 and was completed in June 2019, with WBHO Infrastructure being awarded the construction contract. Funding for the project consisted of: * $7.5 million contributed by the City of Greater Geraldton * $6.5 million contributed by the Western Australian State Government * $10 million contributed by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

through the Building Better Regions Fund The airport runway extensions were officially opened on Friday 6 September 2019 by Federal Member for Durack the Hon. Melissa Price MP, City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn and Member for the Agricultural Region Hon. Laurie Graham MLC.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Geraldton Airport was ranked 45th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in

financial year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2016–2017.

Fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

1 July – 30 June

References

External links

Geraldton Airport
official site

{{Airports in Western Australia Airports in Western Australia Geraldton