Mackay Airport, MKY

Airport Name: Mackay Airport
IATA Code: MKY, ICAO Code: YBMK
Airport Type: Medium Airport
Elevation: 6 metres.
Municipiality: Mackay, Region: Queensland, Country: Australia
Website: MKY Airport Official Website
Wikipedia link: MKY Airport on Wikipedia

One of the country's major domestic airports, the Mackay Airport, is also one of Australia's busiest regional airports. It is one of Queensland's important air hubs that serve the city and its environs. It ranked as Australia's 14th busiest airport in 2009, when it handled a total of 946,318 passengers.

History

The history of the airport began in 1927 when Capt. Ron Adair was thought to have selected the site for the construction of an airstrip that would eventually become the landing site for his own biplane, Avro. It was the first plane to land in Mackay City. The true airport did not open until 1931 after the Controller of Aviation in Australia granted a license to the City of Mackay to build an airport.

In 1940, as the World War II rages on in the Pacific, the Commonwealth Government took control of the facility from the Mackay City Council and upgraded it by extending its boundaries and improving the runways for use in its military effort. During wartime era, from 1942 to 1945, the airport served as a strategic military base due to its proximity to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II.

The Commonwealth Government, who still controlled the airport since 1941, built a new passenger terminal in 1953. After 43 years of full control of the facility, the Commonwealth Government offered it back to the council, but the latter refused. In the end, the Mackay Port Authority gained control of the airport.

The airport was then sold to a private entity in 2008 when the city badly needed funds for the construction of Mackay Hospital. Today, Mackay Airport is owned and operated by North Queensland Airports.

Runways

MackayAirport has two runways, 14/32 and 05/23, both of which are paved. One runway has a length of 1,981m while the other is 1,344m long.

Terminal

The single passenger terminal boasts of basic amenities and facilities which include parents' room, public toilets and showers, a cafe, ATM machines and netkiosks, trolley bays, and wheel chairs.

Flights and Destinations

Major destinations originating from Mackay Airport include Brisbane, Sydney, Cairns, Gladstone, Rockhampton, and Townsville.

Transport to and from the Airport

Taxi and car rental services are the only available modes of transportation to and from the airport. To those who have a connecting flight to Proserpine, there's a shuttle car service available for them.

Mackay Airport Arrivals

Mackay Airport Departures

Flight information is provided by FlightStats, and is subject to the FlightStats Terms of Use.