Mackay Airport

Mackay Airport
Mackay Airport Departures
IATA: MKY ICAO: YBMK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Mackay Airport Pty Ltd
Location	Mackay, Queensland
Elevation AMSL	19 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	21°10′18″S 149°10′47″E / 21.17167°S 149.17972°E / -21.17167; 149.17972Coordinates: 21°10′18″S 149°10′47″E / 21.17167°S 149.17972°E / -21.17167; 149.17972
Website	www.mackayairport.com.au
Map
YBMK Location in Queensland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 14/32 1,981 6,499 Asphalt
Statistics (2010–11)
Passengers 1,049,172 Aircraftmovements 14,945
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart and BITRE

Mackay Airport (IATA: MKY, ICAO: YBMK) located in Mackay, Queensland, Australia is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Mackay, with flights to the cities of Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Hamilton Island and Cairns. In the year ending 30 June 2012, the airport handled 969,900 passengers making it the 14th busiest airport in Australia.

The airport attracts a diverse range of carriers to service the travel needs of the business, commercial, industrial, leisure and visiting friends and relatives sectors.

Mackay is a thriving mining, agricultural, industrial and regional business centre that also supports a growing tourism industry and is a gateway to the Whitsunday coast and islands.

Moves to establish an airport at Mackay began in 1927, when Captain Ron Adair selected the site of the town commons for the construction of an aerodrome, and landed the first plane in Mackay there, his own Avro biplane. The Mackay City Council agreed in February 1930 to apply to excise land from the commons for aviation purposes, and the controller of civil aviation in Australia issued an airport licence on 9 March 1931. The airport opened later that year.

In 1938, the airport held an airshow featuring ten aircraft, which attracted over 8,000 spectators.

Mackay Airport had grass landing strips until 1940, when the Commonwealth Government extended the airport's boundaries and upgraded the runways to unsealed gravel for use during World War II. Until 1945, Mackay Airport served as an important operational military base due to its proximity to the South West Pacific Area. In 1948, the main runway was extended, and in 1958 it was further upgraded, sealed and strengthened.