Canberra Airport

The hangars and air traffic control tower of Defence Establishment Fairbairn, viewed from the main runway

A Royal Australian Air Force Airbus KC-30 landing at Canberra Airport in January 2020

The airport was built up from an old airstrip that was first laid down in the 1920s, not long after the National Capital site was decided. In 1939 it was taken over by the RAAF, with an area leased out for civil aviation.

On 13 August 1940, in what became known as the Canberra air disaster, a RAAF Lockheed Hudson flying from Melbourne crashed into a small hill to the east of the airport. Four crew and six passengers, including the Chief of the General staff and three Federal Government ministers, were killed in the accident. James Fairbairn, Minister for Air and Civil Aviation, was one of those killed and Fairbairn Airbase, the eastern component of the airport, was subsequently named after him. In 1962 the military side of the airport was renamed RAAF Base Fairbairn. The north-east quadrant of the airport still retains the Fairbairn name.

The terminal facilities on the western side were upgraded in 1988. By 1994, Canberra Airport was the seventh busiest in Australia, handling 1.4 million passengers annually. Prior to privatisation, the ACT Government recommended further development of the airport as an international gateway, capable of limited widebody operations to destinations in South-East Asia and the Pacific region, but noted there was little appetite from Australian airlines to establish such services [10]

The lease to the site was sold to Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd[11] in 1998, and the RAAF area was sub-leased back to the Department of Defence. It was decommissioned as a RAAF base in 2003, (although No. 34 Squadron RAAF remains based there), and the RAAF area was renamed Defence Establishment Fairbairn.

In July 2004, Air Pacific launched twice weekly services between Canberra and Nadi, the first direct scheduled International link;[12] however, these flights proved unsuccessful, prompting further investment in facilities to support International operations. In 2006 the main runway was upgraded to cater for heavier aircraft, allowing visiting dignitaries and heads of state to fly direct to the capital.[13]

The airport's 2005 masterplan was criticised by the Federal government for not providing enough detail about planned expansion,[14] while a further draft master plan was rejected by Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese in November 2008. The draft did not provide enough detail on a proposal to develop the airport into a freight hub, while that the airport's community consultation had also been insufficient.[15] In the second half of 2008, Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd started referring to itself as "Canberra Airport".[16]

In early December 2007, plans were announced to construct a new terminal, to be completed by September 2010.[17] This new terminal would have increased the number of aerobridges from two to six, doubled the number of check in counters and car parking and provided additional baggage processing capacity and lounge space.[18][19] These plans were placed on hold in late 2008 as a result of the global economic crisis.[14]

With financial outlooks improving, in April 2009, the airport announced that $350 million would be spent towards a new terminal and key infrastructure projects, including:[20][21]

• three new jet aircraft parking positions and a total of ten aerobridges[22]
• an increase in check-in counters from 17 to 44
• two multi-story car parks connected to the terminal[23]
• a split-level roadside drop off and pick up system
• dedicated customs, immigration and quarantine facilities to support International flights
• an indoor taxi rank and waiting area – a first for an Australian airport

The terminal's Southern concourse was completed in late 2010, while the Western concourse was partially open in March 2013 and complete by November of that year. Overall, floor space was increased by 65%, with significantly expanded baggage capacity and also expanded the airline lounges by four times compared to the previous building.

In November 2012, a national petition was started by 10-year-old Eve Cogan to name the new extensions after David Warren, inventor of the blackbox.[24][25] The petition was supported by Captain C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger.[26]

In 2010, 8 Brindabella Circuit, a building located in the administration area of the Airport precinct, won the 5 Green Stars Australian Excellence Award.[27]

A Qatar Airways Airbus A350 taxiing at Canberra Airport in January 2020

Repatriation flight operated by a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 landing at Canberra Airport in November 2020

In January 2016, Singapore Airlines announced it would launch flights from Singapore to Wellington via Canberra with Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, dubbed the "Capital Express" service.[28] The ACT Government and Canberra Airport had been attempting for years to attract foreign airlines, or persuade Qantas or Virgin Australia to commence international flights from Canberra,[29][30][31][32][33] with a population catchment of 900,000. The airport is underserviced compared to Adelaide which has 42 weekly international services with a population catchment only 25% larger. Canberra's status as Australia's capital city and the above average income of residents in the surrounding area provide arguments in favour of more international services at the airport.[33] Qatar Airways began daily flights between Canberra and Doha, via Sydney, in February 2018.[34] The product offering was upgraded in November 2019, replacing the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft used on the route with new A350-1000s [35]

On 24 January 2018, Singapore Airlines announced that it was ending its Canberra to Wellington service on 30 April 2018, altering its Canberra operations to a daily Singapore-Sydney-Canberra-Singapore service from 1 May 2018 using the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.[36]

Interstate travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted operations at Canberra Airport. By August 2020, the airport reported a 99% reduction in passengers and closed the terminal on Saturdays as a cost saving measure, while management criticized State governments for enforcing border closures with the ACT, despite there being no active community transmission of the virus in the Territory.[37] In September, Singapore Airlines announced the permanent suspension of its Canberra operations.[38] Easing of travel restrictions in late September saw resumption and increased frequency on some interstate routes, avoiding further reduction to five days per week operations.[39] This increased demand was followed by the announcement of several new leisure focussed, regional routes.[40]

Canberra Airport received three one-off repatriation flights to bring home Australians stranded overseas, including a Qantas flight from New Delhi,[41] a Nepal Airlines flight piloted by film star Vijaya Lama[42] and a Singapore Airlines flight with 150 passengers.[43]

On 17 July 2020, Qantas carried passengers on a scenic flight aboard its final Boeing 747 from Canberra Airport over the capital and surrounding region.[44] The special flight, touted as a public farewell for the 747 long-haul fleet, had originally been planned over Melbourne, but it was changed to Canberra due to Victorian lockdowns. The aircraft performed low fly-pasts of the airport and the city landmarks.[45]

Qantas VH-OEJ "Wunala" at Canberra on its final commercial flight on 17 July 2020

Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways cancelled their flights to Canberra in 2020 due to the pandemic. As of January 2023, Qatar had postponed the resumption of these flights on several occasions and there was no date for them to return. Singapore Airlines had also not announced a date by which it would resume servicing Canberra. The airport and ACT government have sought to attract flights to New Zealand without success.[46]

In April 2023 Fiji Airways announced they would resume flights between Canberra and Nadi beginning July 2023, marking the return to international flights to Canberra.[47]

Before the airport's redevelopment in 2009, there was a single building made up of two terminals. The former Qantas Terminal was located on the western side of the building. All Qantas and QantasLink flights and related services, such as lounges, now operate from the new Southern Concourse Terminal. The old terminal was demolished in 2011 to make way for the second Western Concourse Terminal.

The former Common User Terminal was located on the far eastern side of the building. The terminal served Virgin Australia and briefly Tigerair Australia. Also until 2001 the terminal was the home of Ansett Australia's operations from the airport.[52] However, after the construction of the new Southern Concourse, only the terminal's departure lounge and gates 5 and 6 were in use. The Common User terminal was demolished in June 2013 after the opening of new Southern Concourse.[53]

The now demolished old Canberra Airport terminal

Construction of the Southern Concourse was completed in late 2010 and came into service on 14 November.[54] Qantas uses its check-in counters and departure gates. The Southern Concourse also includes The Qantas Club, The Qantas Business Class Lounge and The Qantas chairman's Lounge. The building's two wings, the Southern Concourse and the Western Concourse, are separated by an atrium, the centrepiece of the terminal.[55]

The Western Concourse opened in March 2013 and conjoins onto the Southern Concourse Terminal. Virgin Australia uses its check-in counters and departure gates.[56] The Western Concourse also includes the 300-seat Virgin Lounge and Virgin's invitation-only The Club.[57]

The western concourse was built with space for customs, immigration and quarantine facilities next to the Virgin lounge on the upper floor and on the ground floor. These areas were fitted out and opened when Singapore Airlines began its Canberra services to Wellington and Singapore.[58] International flights arrive at and depart from gate 5.

The General Aviation Terminal in Canberra Airport is a small separate building located on the far west side of the Terminal Precinct.[59][60] Brindabella Airlines had its head office and maintenance facility located near this terminal prior to the airline's collapse in 2013.[61][62]

As the only general aviation facility in the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding districts, Canberra Airport plays a central role in the development of this segment of the industry. Up until the privatization of the airport the facility supported multiple, small airlines, flying schools and related aviation businesses. However, since the privatization of the airport the majority of these businesses have either relocated or ceased to exist. The Canberra Airport 2014 Master plan notes that since privatization of the airport there has been an expansion of the General Aviation precinct, but it also notes that other facilities are encroaching upon these areas and GA will be relocated to an as yet undefined location.

While there has been a decline in general aviation related businesses the demand for hangar space for general aviation remains strong, with over 20 aircraft forced to park in the open exposed to the weather due to a lack of alternative options. The development of the site as a piece of prime real estate, exempt from some Territory planning laws, by the current leasee to cater to non-aviation businesses such as office space and general retail space, has created a situation where the potential revenue or the land is more valuable in this role than its intended purpose makes it unlikely that this situation will be resolved by market processes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canberra Airport announced that the runway 12/30 would be closed. As noted in the 2014 Canberra Airport Master plan, this runway is primarily used by general aviation and was considered by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to be a thinly veiled attempt to unlock a larger area of the site for non-aviation purposes.[74] There has also been a significant and ongoing criticism that the ongoing property development activities have been pursued to the detriment of aviation safety. For Canberra Airport, Airservices Australia has been obliged to put the following warning in its En Route Supplement Australia:[75] "During strong westerly winds TURB may be experienced in touch down area LDG RWY 35." Pilots have warned of potential safety issues arising from turbulence caused by mostly non-aviation related development encroaching close to the runway. This development restricts the options available to pilots of smaller aircraft in an emergency.[76]

Canberra is the only capital city in Australia that does not have a secondary airport.[77] In 1955, the Commonwealth Government recommended that a second airport be built to separate slower and smaller aircraft from much faster turboprop airliners as passenger traffic grew. In 2011, the ACT Government considered a proposal to develop a small airport on a site in Williamsdale, south of Canberra that would be support general aviation and emergency services users[78] The Government declined to proceed after conducting a cost–benefit analysis that anticipated marginal returns on the required investment, despite demand for a secondary airport. The Canberra Regional Aviators Association formed in 2009 to advocate for a second airport. The association has criticised rising costs following the privatisation of Canberra Airport, pointing out that since 1997, many flying schools and maintenance providers ceasing to operate and far fewer light aircraft are based at the airport.[77] They argue that establishment of a secondary airport will boost the city's economy through the creation of maintenance and engineering jobs and provide facilities for Canberra's universities to expand flight training programs.[79]

Busiest international routes – Canberra Airport (2018)[82]

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	% Change
1	Singapore	53,468	0.4
2	Doha^	28,939	NA
3	Wellington^	12,515	59.8

Notes
^Since 1 May 2019 the Singapore Airline service operates via Sydney from Singapore and no more flights operate to Wellington.[83] The Doha service commenced on 12 February 2018.[84]