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'Perth Airport' is an Australian domestic and international airport located south of Guildford, Western Australia, and is the major commercial airport servicing Western Australia's capital city, Perth. It is a medium sized airport by international standards, but plays a strategic role due to its location – servicing many Australian, Asian, Indian Ocean, Pacific locations, as well as Johannesburg, South Africa.
The domestic terminal is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the Perth CBD, whilst the international terminal is 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) from the CBD. The airport is located near major arterial roads, Great Eastern Highway and Tonkin Highway. The domestic terminal is also accessible from the city by public transport buses, and transfers between terminals are available by use of a inter-terminal transfer bus or taxi.
Qantas has announced in September 2007 a 50 Million dollar upgrade to their domestic terminal as Perth Airport was branded the worst capital city airport in Australia, a status previously held by the old Adelaide Airport terminal.
History
Early days
Perth Airpot with city centre behind, image taken from the Darling Scarp looking west
Prior to the opening of the Perth Airport, civilian air services for the city were provided from airfields located in Maylands (in operation since 1924), as well as on the city's foreshore at Langley Park.[1] 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.[2] In 1938, land was selected and purchased for the new aerodrome. The site selected in what was at the time Guildford, 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 and United States Navy, primarily to supplement RAAF Base Pearce. Despite military use of the airfield, civil services operated by Qantas Empire Airways 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 of the day, as the larger types of aircraft of the day being operated by the two airlines could simply not be handled at Maylands, not withstanding the small grass airfield, lack of passenger facilities, and approaches being difficult due to surrounding industrial infrastructure. Using Douglas DC-3 aircraft, ANA flew the first commercial service from the aerodrome to Adelaide. On June 17, 1944, Qantas made its inaugural flight to Ceylon via Exmouth using a modified Liberator bomber, arriving in Perth on June 3, 1944 having been released to the airline by the British Government.
Early civilian operations
Full civilian operations at the ''Guildford Aerodrome'' commenced in 1944.. Civil operations at Maylands continued albeit reduced until June 30, 1963, when the airport closed and its function as a secondary airport were taken over by Jandakot Airport the very next day.
The Guildford Aerodrome as it was then known 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 then 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 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 Aviation Co.'' (MMA) relocated from Maylands to Guildford. followed by newly-formed government airline ''Trans Australia Airlines'' (TAA) on December 2 of that same year, operating Douglas C-54 Skymasters on its Perth - Melbourne - Sydney route. Due to the lack of road transportation across the Nullabor Plain, it was at this time that Guildford became the scene of very busy cargo operations. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and manufactured goods were being flown from east to west and back again.
The airport only received international status and was renamed to ''Perth International Airport'' in 1952. Officiated by the then 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 their 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 the Constellation ''Charles Kingsford Smith"'' (VH-EAD) from Sydney to South Africa via Western Australia, the Cocos Islands, and Mauritius.
The jet age
Towards the mid-1950s, airline travel was still only being used by 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 revolution. As 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 1960's that the airport commenced seeing its first pure jet engine aircraft, commencing with a Boeing 727 in 1964, and the Douglas DC-9 in 1967. It was at this time that the airport was the only one 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 ''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 current 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 hangers into a new combined passenger terminal, designed by the Commonwealth Department of Works and opened just in time to handle significant increases in passenger traffic associated with the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The new combined terminal was opened that same year by then Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Shane Paldridge, and was located in an area positioned between Terminals 2 and 3 and currently used for as the crew base for both Qantas and Skywest, and offices for airlines and support firms.[3]
International terminal development
The airport control tower, built in 1986.
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 on September 3, 1971, the existing terminal had reached its capacity, and modeling 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 m AUD (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.[4] The terminal was officially opened on October 25, 1986 by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke, 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 remained so for a number of years.[5]
Upon completion, the terminal was able to process up to five Boeing 747 aircraft per hour and accommodated a peak passenger volume of 6,000 passengers per hour.
From 2003 to 2004, the 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 $AUD25 Million (2006) were made to the terminal across 2005 and 2006 which added an additional 2,500 m² of floor space, additional check-in counters, and an improved baggage handling and screening system.
In 2006, the International Terminal (T1) celebrated its 20th anniversary. 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
Prior to 1988, the government of the day saw fit to consolidate the ownership and management of the countries airports into a single operating entity. In 1988, the newly formed Federal Airports Corporation took over as manager of Perth Airport.
At this time also, airline operators Qantas and Ansett 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 Airlines, the Ansett terminal became a multi-user terminal, catering for flights from former Ansett-subsidiary Skywest, as well as Virgin Blue and now charter airlines Alliance Airlines and Ozjet.
The airport simplified its name to ''Perth Airport'' in 2002.
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 B747, Airbus A340, and potentially the Airbus A380 to operate at the airport[6].
Facilities and services
Front of International Terminal.
★ 'Terminal 1', the eastern 'international' terminal caters for flights originating or departing outside Australia, with five jetways and a total of seven gates. It has also supported upstart domestic airlines such as Compass Airlines in the 1990s, and Virgin Blue from 2001-2002.
★ The western 'domestic' terminal is divided into two structures,
★
★ 'Terminal 2', the Qantas terminal primarily dedicated to Qantas domestic operations, with four jetways and a total of nine gates. Domestic flights for Jetstar, QantasLink and National Jet Systems as well as selected charter airlines operate from this terminal.
★
★ 'Terminal 3', a ''Multi-user Domestic Terminal'' (MUDT), formerly the Ansett terminal, now used by Skywest, Virgin Blue, Ozjet and Alliance Airlines domestic services, with two jetways and a total of seven gates.
★ A northern 'general aviation' terminal, used primarily by charter aircraft, mainly for mining companies as Fly-in, Fly-out services to remote operations.
Flights are serviced by two runways – the main 03/21 runway, 3444 m long and 06/24, 2163 m long.
Airfield and airside services
Perth Airport provides the following on-field services:
★ Air freight;
★ Aviation fuel;
★ In-flight catering facilities;
★ Air traffic control facilities; and
★ 24-hour rescue and fire fighting facilities.[8]
Meteorological services
Meteorological services for Perth Airport commenced in May 1944, provided by the Guildford Meteorological Office situated at Ivy St, Redcliffe.[9]
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 balloons. 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, in the north-eastern corner of the airfield.
Transport
Road access to the domestic terminals from the CBD is via Great Eastern Highway and Brearley Ave. The Internation terminal access is via Tonkin Highway and Horrie Miller Drive. Both the domestic and international terminals are services by a number of private charter bus operators that can be normally accessed through most major CBD hotels.[10] The domestic terminal can be accessed by a regular public bus service operated by Transperth. The airport is not currently serviced by Rail, however the current airport master plan calls for the construction of rail services prior to 2024.[11]
Landing patterns and approach
Perth Airport resides within the Melbourne FIR, which is managed by Melbourne Centre and operated by Airservices Australia.[12]
Perth Approach Control then guides the aircraft to their final approach. Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Perth Tower.
Statistics
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.[13]
Future plans
Introduction of the Airbus A380
It has been suggested that with the introduction of the Airbus A380 aircraft, Perth Airport would be ideally positioned to serve as a hub for Europe-Australia flights – the so called ''Kangaroo route''. Due to the ability for increased flight distances, carriers would be able to bypass historical stopovers in locations such as Singapore or Bangkok, instead flying directly from Perth to major European airports. The state government and airport administrators have stated it as a goal to make Perth attractive for this, and have plans to upgrade the airport to accommodate the larger aircraft and passenger numbers. The currently used Airbus A340-500 has a range long enough to go from London to Perth.[14] However, neither British Airways nor Qantas appears to have an interest in such a direct route at this time.
After a 10-month project, a reconstructed cross runway was opened on October 21, 2005.[15] The upgrades involved significant strengthening works and enlargement of turning nodes to accommodate regular operations by wide bodied aircraft, including the Airbus A380.
2024 Airport Masterplan
The 2024 Airport Master Plan[16] aims for the domestic and international terminals to be consolidated into a single terminal on the south-eastern side of the airfield sometime between 2021 to 2024.[17] At present, the international and domestic terminals are on opposite sides of the airfield and are not directly connected through a regular public transport passenger service. While it is possible to travel by road between the two terminals, it is approximately an 11 kilometre (7 mi) distance between the two locations by public roads.
The 2024 masterplan calls for the completion of a rail link that will connect with the Midland Line between Bayswater Station and Ashfield Station at the Tonkin Highway. The proposed rail link will continue above ground along Tonkin Highway to Great Eastern Highway where it is believed to go underground along Brearley Avenue and to the terminals in operation at completion of the line. A rail link to the airport was originally proposed in the 1990s by nearby local government bodies, however the proposal was not followed through at the time.
As of May 2007, Airport Management have increased discussion about bringing forward the timelines for completion of the master plan objectives. Primary reasons for this are the significant increases in domestic passenger traffic, brought about by increased mining activities in the state's north west region. Current statements by the Airport's management suggest that a majority of the master plan objectives including the consolidation of the domestic and international terminals on the southern side of the airfield may be planned as early as 2011.
In August 2007, Qantas announced that it was preparing to commit $50 m AUD for upgrades to its domestic terminal. These plans would include the addition of three check in desks, one additional jetway, general renovations and security improvments. Airport owner Westralia Airports Corporation also announced their intent to undertake works valued at $20 m AUD, that would include the delivery of 1300 new parking bays, as well as improved road access to terminals two and three. These upgrades are planned for a life of five years, by which both Qantas and the airport owner hope to have completed construction of new terminal facilities identified within the master plan.
Surrounding lands
The land on which the airport is situated is Commonwealth Government land. The Airport property exists in a different jurisdiction from adjacent lands. As a consequence when the plans are regularly reviewed for the airport land, the unique status has been viewed with interest for the potential for enforcing rigorous environmental standards due to the remnant bushland within the boundaries – and also for potential developments that are not constrained by pressures on adjacent state jurisdiction lands.
Developing a third runway
Future planning for the airport sees a third runway built parallel to the existing main 03/21 runway. The plan is controversial as it would increase noise impact on a larger portion of the Perth metropolitan area.
Airlines and destinations
The following carriers operate from the airport to the following destinations:[18][19][20]
'Freight and cargo'
Accidents
On September 2, 1999, the number one engine of a Qantas Boeing 747, en route from Sydney (Kingsford Smith) International Airport coming into land on Runway 06/24, struck the runway surface upon landing.[22]
Originally, the plane had been destined to land on Runway 03/21. However, the pilot in command opted for a missed approach procedure after experiencing turbulence that rendered the aircraft unstable. After discussion with ATC and changes in wind conditions, the aircraft was then offered the use of Runway 06/24. However, on commencement of touchdown, it experienced a roll to the right. This was corrected by the pilot, but the aircraft still touched down with a left wing altitude causing the engine to strike the runway surface for a length of 30 m that commenced at 490 m from the runway threshold.
The cause was determined to be prevailing weather conditions which often result in low-level turbulence, also known as wind shear, largely due to local geography, with rolling winds caused by the nearby Darling Scarp. The incident has resulted in efforts to improve weather monitoring systems around the airport.
Trivia
★ The supersonic Concorde made four visits to the airport, the first of these being in February 1985, and its last in 1989 to mark its 20th year of service as part of an around the world tour.
★ During 1990, the Russian Antonov An-124 ''Condor'' arrives at Perth Airport.
References
1. Perth Airport 1944 - 1994, 50 Years of civil aviation, , , , Federal Airports Corporation, ,
2. My big brother - A First History of Perth Airport, , Gabriel, Flamer, Graylands Teachers College, ,
3. 20 Year Anniversary of Terminal 1 (International) - 1986 to 2006
4. Access road to new International Airport to be named Horrie Miller Drive in honour of WA pioneer aviator
5. Perth Tower
6. Perth Airport celebrates 60th anniversary of first international service
7. About Perth Airport
8. Perth ARFF Station
9. About Perth Airport Meteorological Office
10. Bus Services
11. Public Transport Link Option, 2024 Masterplan, Perth Airport
12. Melbourne Centre
13. Airport Statistics
14. Record Longest Flight Flies in the Face of Its Critics
15.
16. 2024 Airport Masterplan, Perth Airport
17. 2024 Passenger Facilities Development Plan, 2024 Masterplan, Perth Airport
18. Domestic & Regional
19. International
20. Freight & Cargo
21. Tiger Airways - Flight Schedules (October 2007 to March 2008
22.
See also
★ Jandakot Airport
★ List of Australian airports
★ Transport in Australia
External links
★ Official website
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