Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is the seventh busiest airport in Australia. The airport is located north of the Cairns central business district in the suburb of Aeroglen. The airport lies between Mount Whitfield to the west and Trinity Bay to the east.

The airport has direct flights to 10 international and 27 domestic destinations and many general aviation flights including a number of helicopter operators. Flights are operated to all major Australian cities and tourist destinations, regional communities in Far North Queensland, and a number of international destinations in the Asia-Pacific region with connections to the rest of the world. The airport formed the main base for Australian Airlines prior to its ceasing of operations in June 2006. It is also a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the search and rescue helicopters. Over 4.8 million passengers used the airport in 2023/24.

Owned by the Government of Queensland, it is leased to JPMorgan Asset Management under a 99-year lease.

History

During the late 1930s, the Federal Government purchased an existing aerodrome in Cairns from the local council, placing it under the control of the Department of Civil Aviation. During World War II, the airport was used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from 1941 onwards. In 1942, the RAAF established the 25th Operational Base Unit at Cairns, who developed it as a refuelling point for military aircraft. Surfacing and extending the main runway to support these operations was completed during 1943. The airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a transport base, with the 33d Troop Carrier Squadron (374th Troop Carrier Group) operating from the base during 1942 and 1943. In 1949, the main runway was lengthened to to accommodate larger aircraft.

Between 1940 and 1951, over £1 million was spent on upgrades to the airport, which by that time handled 11 scheduled aircraft movements per day and maintained a fire service, a meteorological office, an air traffic control tower and its own power station. The DCA further planned to install an Instrument Landing System on the main runway. Ahead of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Olympic flame was carried from Athens to Cairns aboard a Qantas airliner, where the torch relay began.

During the mid-1960s, the airport was upgraded and the runway further lengthened to and strengthened so jets could land.

During the 1970s, Australia's two domestic airlines Trans Australia Airlines and Ansett provided regular scheduled services to most Australian capital cities and also Papua New Guinea, while in 1975 Air Niugini became the first international airline to commence flights out of Cairns, to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. In 1982, redevelopment of the airport commenced. This involved further lengthening of the runway to (making it the longest runway in Queensland) and construction of a new terminal building. The first stage of the redevelopment was finished in 1984 and a dual International and Domestic Terminal was opened.

At the end of the 1980s the second stage of redevelopment was completed. This included a new separate International Terminal, associated aprons and taxiways, costing an estimated $80 million. The main runway was again extended, to . The third stage of redevelopment was completed in 1997, during which a three-storey Airport Administration Centre was constructed providing of office space.

A $200 million redevelopment of the Domestic Terminal started in August 2007 and was completed in 2010. Check-in facilities were expanded into a common-user facility for all airlines, and the building enlarged. Five new jet bridges replaced the existing three old bridges.

In December 2008, the Government of Queensland sold a 99-year lease to North Queensland Airports, a consortium of JPMorgan Asset Management, Westpac, the Private Capital Group and Perron Group. In January 2010 Auckland International Airport Limited (AIA) purchased Westpac's 25% shareholding. In March 2018, AIA sold its stake to the other shareholders with JPMorgan having 66%, the Infrastructure Fund 27% and Perron Group 7%.

A further upgrade of the Domestic Terminal commenced in 2019 and was completed in August 2020, at a total cost of $55 million. The main purpose of the upgrade was to prepare the terminal to handle the domestic portion of the airport's projected 6 million passengers annually from 2027. The floor area of the departure hall was increased to , and an additional of dining and retail facilities were added. The upgrade also included expanded seating areas, a new interactive children's play screen, an upgraded Parenting Room, and a new Quiet Room.

Virgin Australia launched daily direct service to Tokyo-Haneda on 28 June 2023 with Boeing 737 MAX 8s. However, due to low demand, the route ceased on 24 February 2025.

In early 2023, it was announced that the International Terminal (Terminal 1) would undergo its first major upgrade in April 2023 to a value of $55 million. The announced upgrades would be rolled out in stages to 'minimise passenger disruptions', the first of which would feature the installation of four new glass air-bridges and the re-cladding of the exterior of the building.

In December 2023, the airport was affected by Cyclone Jasper forcing it to close for several days. In March 2024, it was announced that both Cairns and Mackay Airports would run on 100% renewable energy sources from 2025.

In August 2025, JP Morgan increased it shareholding to 100%.

Facilities Terminals

The airport has two passenger terminals on the eastern side of the airport on reclaimed mangrove swamp. They are approximately north of the Cairns Central Shopping Centre and situated on Airport Avenue off Sheridan Street (Captain Cook Highway). The terminals are in separate buildings from one another. The Domestic Terminal is number 2, and has five jet bridges and 17 gates. The International Terminal is number 1, and has six jet bridges and ten gates in total.

A large and dedicated air-freight terminal termed the: 'Cairns Regional Trade Distribution Centre' was announced by the Queensland State Government Ministers in 2022. This facility will feature a 2400 square meter freight logistics hub and aim to improve the $40.4 million in food and agricultural exports through the airport. This is situated partially atop the former general aviation runway 12/30.

Runways The airport has a single runway (15/33) which is long. The flight path to the north of the main runway is located directly overhead Cairns' northern beach suburbs. The flight path to the south is located directly over central Cairns. A smaller () runway 12/30 that was used for general aviation lies to the east; its final approach crossed the main runway. As of April 2011 this runway was closed and had been converted to a helipad area before the freight terminal's construction.

Airlines and destinations Passenger

Cargo

Other tenants There are operators of emergency medical retrieval and rescue services based at the airport, including Emergency Management Queensland and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Statistics

+ Annual passenger statistics for Cairns Airport Year Domestic International Total Change 1998 1,915,717 688,058 2,603,775 –2.2% 1999 2,022,908 660,659 2,683,567 3.1% 2000 2,132,713 680,133 2,812,846 4.8% 2001 2,025,193 665,118 2,690,311 –4.4% 2002 2,087,643 766,256 2,853,899 6.1% 2003 2,246,566 746,561 2,993,127 4.9% 2004 2,582,591 846,846 3,429,437 14.6% 2005 2,842,947 862,184 3,705,131 8.0% 2006 2,967,077 791,709 3,758,786 1.4% 2007 3,066,414 702,048 3,768,462 0.3% 2008 3,153,171 595,461 3,748,632 –0.5% 2009 3,133,393 404,803 3,538,196 –5.6% 2010 3,254,097 495,873 3,749,970 6.0% 2011 3,361,097 504,072 3,865,169 3.1% 2012 3,569,195 511,359 4,080,554 5.6% 2013 3,754,331 492,091 4,246,422 4.1% 2014 3,857,399 460,910 4,318,309 1.7% 2015 3,975,309 545,733 4,521,042 4.7% 2016 4,208,221 642,293 4,850,514 7.3% 2017 4,278,311 662,173 4,940,484 1.9% 2018 4,283,247 662,551 4,945,798 0.1% 2019 4,126,357 651,824 4,778,181 –3.4% 2020 1,587,304 119,221 1,706,525 –64.3% 2021 2,312,189 2,490 2,314,679 35.6% 2022 3,672,627 135,262 3,807,889 64.5%20233,842,622322,5414,292,670 11%20244,091,700625,9414,717,641 11.1%20254,038,102665,8724,875,498 3.35%

Domestic +Busiest Domestic Routes – Cairns Airport 2024 Rank Airport Number of passengers % change 1 Brisbane 1,305,500 2 Sydney 919,200 3 Melbourne 824,800

International + Busiest international routes – Cairns Airport 2024 Rank Airport Passengers handled % change 1 Tokyo 220,520 2 Osaka 122,139 3 Singapore 104,793 4 Denpasar 93,211 5 Port Moresby 41,702 6 Auckland 32,069 7 Christchurch 27,976 8 Nadi 20,449 9 Hong Kong 16,900

Cargo + Busiest International freight routes of Cairns Airport (*route suspended) (2019)Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June Rank Airport Freight handled (tonnes) % change11678.9 21156.2 3309.9 4252.4 5*145.5 6*108.3 768.2 833.5

Ground transport Taxi Ranks are located near both the International and Domestic Terminals. Cairns Taxis taxi ranks are located immediately outside the International and Domestic Terminals.

Bus Airport shuttle bus services to hotels, city centre, Northern Beaches, Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation are available. In late-2026 Kinetic Cairns bus route 100 will be introduced, which run to the CBD every 30 minutes.

Parking Short-term and long-term parking, including a covered car park and parking for people with a disability are located within the public carparks adjacent to both the Domestic and International Terminals.

Accidents and incidents On 12 August 2024, a 23 year old employee of Nautilus Aviation gained access to a Robinson R44 helicopter at around 1:30 AM and departed from Cairns Airport on an unauthorised flight. The man, who held a New Zealand pilot's licence, made a number of low altitude passes over the Cairns Esplanade before crashing into the roof of the Doubletree by Hilton Cairns. 400 hotel guests were evacuated following with accident, with two treated for smoke inhalation. Investigators found the pilot, who was killed in the accident, was "affected by a significant amount of alcohol" at the time of the flight.

See also United States Army Air Forces in Australia (World War II) Transportation in Australia List of airports in Queensland

References

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