Lois Larson
Melbourne, Australia, has several airports serving the city, including Melbourne Airport (also known as Tullamarine Airport), Avalon Airport, Essendon Airport, Lilydale Airport, RAAF Williams (formerly known as RAAF Point Cook), and Coldstream Airport. Melbourne Airport, located 18-20 kilometres northwest of the city centre, is the main international airport serving Melbourne and the state of Victoria, with the second-largest passenger traffic in Australia. Avalon Airport, located southwest of Melbourne, is another prominent airport, offering domestic and, more recently, international flights. Essendon Airport previously served as Melbourne's primary airport before being replaced by Melbourne Airport in 1970.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of airports in Melbourne | 4 |
| Number of international airports | 1 |
| Names of the airports | Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine Airport), Avalon Airport, Essendon Airport, Coldstream Airport |
| Airport with the most recent security breach | Melbourne Airport |
| Number of runways in Melbourne Airport | 2 |
| Year Melbourne Airport opened | 1970 |
| Number of terminals in Melbourne Airport | 4 |
| Number of domestic airports in Melbourne | 3 |
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What You'll Learn
- Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport
- Avalon Airport is the next most prominent airport
- Essendon Airport was formerly Melbourne's primary airport
- Lilydale Airport, Coldstream Airport, and RAAF Williams are domestic airports
- Tullamarine was built in the 1970s to accommodate larger jets
Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport
Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, has four airports serving the Melbourne area. Of these, Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport. It is located 18 kilometres (11 miles) northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Tullamarine. The airport has its own postcode, 3045.
Melbourne Airport is the second-largest airport in Australia in terms of land area, covering 2,741 hectares (6,773 acres). It has four terminals: one international terminal, two domestic terminals, and one budget domestic terminal. The airport operates 24 hours a day and offers on-site parking, shopping, and dining. It is easily accessible via the Tullamarine Freeway and is served by a bus network and roadway and highway network.
Melbourne Airport was opened in 1970, replacing Essendon Airport as Melbourne's primary airport. Essendon Airport, located in the middle northwest of the city, was previously the main airport for Melbourne and continued to operate domestic flights for a year after Melbourne Airport opened. The new airport was built to accommodate larger jets, with two intersecting runways.
Due to increasing air traffic and limited capacity, proposals for a third runway at Melbourne Airport have been under consideration. Two new runways have been proposed: a 3,000-metre runway parallel to the current north-south runway and another 3,000-metre runway south of the existing east-west runway.
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Avalon Airport is the next most prominent airport
Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, has four airports serving the Melbourne area, including one international airport, two domestic airports, and one budget domestic airport.
Avalon Airport (IATA: AVV, ICAO: YMAV) is located southwest of the city, outside the city of Geelong, and is the next most prominent airport after Melbourne Airport. Avalon Airport is one of the Melbourne airports used by Jetstar for its flights, which are cheaper than flights from Melbourne Airport (except for Tiger Airways). Avalon Airport is 55 kilometres southwest of Melbourne alongside the Princes Freeway, the main road between Melbourne and Geelong. It is the most convenient airport for those travelling to the Great Ocean Road. Avalon Airport is also accessible by bus, with a bus service that meets every flight, arriving and leaving from the Southern Cross Transit Centre in Melbourne.
Avalon Airport was opened in the 1950s and has been used for passenger flights since the 1990s. Today, it is used for civil aviation and has recently become an international airport, with international flights commencing at the end of 2018. Domestic airlines like TigerAir and Jetstar offer daily flights to and from major cities and towns in Australia, and Air Asia operates flights from this airport to destinations in Asia like Kuala Lumpur. Avalon Airport is also the site of the International Airshow of Australia.
Lilydale Airport, RAAF Williams (formerly known as RAAF Point Cook), and Coldstream Airport are the other three domestic airports serving the Melbourne area. Coldstream Airport, located in Melbourne's scenic Yarra Valley, was established in 1962 and is a centre for pilot and aviation engineering training and aviation social activities. It provides charter and scenic flights throughout the state and is a base for aerial firefighting services. Lilydale Airport, located in the Yarra Valley near Yarra Glen, has been in operation since 1968 and caters to a large number of pilot training flights, 'joyflights', and passenger flights to various parts of the Alpine region.
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Essendon Airport was formerly Melbourne's primary airport
Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport serving Melbourne, Australia. The airport opened in 1970 and replaced Essendon Airport, which was formerly Melbourne's primary airport. Essendon Airport is located in the middle northwest of the city and is the closest airport to Melbourne's city centre, approximately an 11km drive northwest from it and 8km southeast from Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport.
The Essendon Fields site was chosen for its strategic location in the early 1920s when aviation was still in its infancy. Essendon Fields Airport officially opened as Essendon Aerodrome in 1921, offering flight enthusiasts and pilots a place to gather and explore aviation. The Aerodrome was extended with additional land during the 1930s, and further construction of the runways was undertaken in 1946 to upgrade and lengthen the original north-south grass runway to concrete tarmac.
During its heyday, Essendon Fields was not just a local airport but a symbol of the nation's progress in aviation. The airport hosted numerous historic figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, aviation pioneers Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and Alan Cobham, who landed his de Havilland DH.50 floatplane from England. Essendon Fields was also the location of Australia's first parachute jump by a woman, 17-year-old Jean Burns, in 1937. In February 1950, Essendon became Melbourne's first and Australia's second international airport.
However, by the 1950s, Essendon Airport was too small for larger pure jets, such as the Boeing 707, and expansion was impossible due to surrounding housing developments. In 1959, the Cabinet approved the acquisition of land in Tullamarine for a new international airport, which opened in 1970, ending Essendon's nearly two-decade run as Melbourne's international airport. Essendon remained home to domestic flights for another year before they were also transferred to Melbourne Airport in 1971. Today, Essendon Fields remains a crucial hub for general and corporate aviation, serving as a home base for Victoria's emergency services air wings.
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Lilydale Airport, Coldstream Airport, and RAAF Williams are domestic airports
Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport serving Melbourne, Australia. The airport opened in 1970 and has two intersecting runways, with extensions planned for the long term. Melbourne Airport is the second-largest airport in Australia in terms of passenger traffic and is the main and sole international airport serving Victoria.
However, there are several other airports in and around Melbourne, including Lilydale Airport, Coldstream Airport, and RAAF Williams. These are domestic airports that serve the general aviation needs of outer eastern Melbourne.
Lilydale Airport is a privately-owned aerodrome located in the regional suburb of Yering, Victoria, approximately 6 km north of Lilydale. The airport offers flight training, air charters, aircraft rentals, and skydiving. The low-lying grass runways occasionally flood during severe rainfall, and on colder mornings with no wind, the strip may be covered in a thin layer of fog.
Coldstream Airport is the other airport in the Yarra Valley that serves the general aviation needs of outer eastern Melbourne, alongside Lilydale Airport.
RAAF Williams, Point Cook is the birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force and is the oldest continuously operating military airfield in the world. It is the former home of the RAAF College, including the Officer Training School and the RAAF Academy from 1961 to 1985. Today, it is used for the Air Force element of the Australian Defence Force Gap Year Program and houses administrative functions, training centres, and the RAAF Museum, which showcases a large collection of ex-RAAF aircraft and military memorabilia.
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Tullamarine was built in the 1970s to accommodate larger jets
Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the main international airport serving Melbourne, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres northwest of the city centre and was opened in 1970.
The construction of Tullamarine Airport began in November 1964, and it opened in 1970, becoming Melbourne's main airport. Essendon continued to operate domestic flights for another year before these were also transferred to Tullamarine in 1971, with the arrival of the Boeing 747.
Tullamarine Airport has four terminals, including one international terminal and three domestic terminals, one of which is a budget terminal. The airport operates 24 hours a day and offers parking, shopping, and dining options. It is easily accessible via the Tullamarine Freeway and is located approximately 20 kilometres north of the city.
Melbourne also has other airports, including Avalon Airport, Essendon Airport, Lilydale Airport, and Coldstream Airport, but Tullamarine remains the primary international airport, accommodating large jets and serving as a major hub for Qantas and Virgin Australia.
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Frequently asked questions
Melbourne actually has four airports, but only one international airport. The other three are domestic airports.
The international airport is called Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport. The three domestic airports are Lilydale Airport, RAAF Williams (formerly known as RAAF Point Cook), and Coldstream Airport.
Melbourne Airport, or Tullamarine Airport, is the busiest airport in Melbourne. It is also the second busiest airport in Australia, after Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport.
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