Adelaide Airport

Adelaide Airport
Adelaide Airport T1, Qantas Check in Desks
IATA: ADL ICAO: YPAD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Adelaide Airport Limited
Serves	Adelaide
Location	Adelaide Airport, South Australia
Hub for	Alliance Airlines Qantas Regional Express Airlines Sharp Airlines Cobham
Focus city for	Virgin Australia Jetstar Airways
Elevation AMSL	20 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	34°56′42″S 138°31′50″E / 34.94500°S 138.53056°E / -34.94500; 138.53056Coordinates: 34°56′42″S 138°31′50″E / 34.94500°S 138.53056°E / -34.94500; 138.53056
Website	adelaideairport.com.au
Map
ADL Location in Adelaide
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 3,100 10,171 Asphalt 12/30 1,652 5,420 Asphalt
Statistics
PassengersYE 2016 8,007,000 Movements 2015 78,072 Freight (Tonnes) 2015 20 822
Sources: BITRE

Adelaide Airport (IATA: ADL, ICAO: YPAD) is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the fifth busiest airport in Australia, servicing just over eight million passengers in the calendar year ending 31 December 2016. Located adjacent to West Beach, it is approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the city-centre. It has been operated privately by Adelaide Airport Limited under a long-term lease from the Commonwealth Government since 29 May 1998.

First established in 1955, a new dual international/domestic terminal was opened in 2005 which has received numerous awards, including being named the world's second-best international airport (5–15 million passengers) in 2006. Also, it has been named Australia's best capital city airport in 2006, 2009 and 2011.

Over the 2016 calendar year, Adelaide Airport experienced passenger growth of 5.9% internationally and 2.1% for domestic and regional passengers.

The first Adelaide airport was an aerodrome constructed in 1921 on 24 ha (59 acres) of land in Hendon. The small facility allowed for a mail service between Adelaide and Sydney. To meet the substantial growth in aviation, Parafield Airport was developed in 1927. The demand on aviation outgrew Parafield and the current site of Adelaide Airport was selected at West Torrens (now West Beach) in January 1946. An alternative site at Port Adelaide, including a seaplane facility, was considered inferior and too far from the C.B.D. Construction began and flights commenced in 1954. Parafield Airport was turned into a private and military aviation facility.

An annexe to one of the large hangars at the airport served as a passenger terminal until the Commonwealth Government provided funds for the construction of a temporary building. International services became regular from 1982 upon the construction of an international terminal. A new dual-use $260 million facility replaced both the original 'temporary' domestic and international terminals in 2005.