Rockhampton Airport

Rockhampton Airport
IATA: ROK ICAO: YBRK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Rockhampton Regional Council
Serves	Rockhampton, Queensland
Elevation AMSL	36 ft / 11 m
Coordinates	23°22′54″S 150°28′30″E / 23.38167°S 150.47500°E / -23.38167; 150.47500Coordinates: 23°22′54″S 150°28′30″E / 23.38167°S 150.47500°E / -23.38167; 150.47500
Website	Rockhampton Airport
Map
YBRK Location in Queensland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 1,645 5,397 Paved 15/33 2,568 8,425 Paved
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 677,447 Aircraftmovements 12,606
Sources: AIP Passenger and aircraftmovements from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport

Rockhampton Airport (Connor Park) (IATA: ROK, ICAO: YBRK) is a major Australian regional airport in West Rockhampton that services the city of Rockhampton, with direct flights to the cities of Brisbane and Mackay. It also operates connecting flights to the cities of Townsville and Cairns. The Airport previously operated direct flights to Sydney, Townsville and Melbourne but were cancelled due to lack of passenger numbers. The Airport runway has the capability to handle aircraft such as the A380, B747 & B777 types.

In 2011, the airport handled 701,062 passengers and 12,606 aircraft movements, a drop from the 2010 figure of 777,212 passengers and 14,602 aircraft. The drop is attributed in part to the airport being closed for three weeks in January due to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.

Efforts to locate a permanent aerodrome site in the city had been proceeding for a number of years in the 1920s. The City Council and the Federal Government, however, could not come to an arrangement as to a suitable site. Prior to 1930, a number of locations within the city had been used for the operation of aircraft, all on a non-official basis and none suitable for long term use.

In 1929, the lease to a former racecourse, Connor Park, was acquired by a number of aspiring aviators, and they set about making it suitable for aircraft. The Rockhampton Aero Club was formed on 9 February 1930, and announced that flying training would commence at the location. The Rockhampton Aero Club continues to operate today, providing flying training and air charter. The aerodrome was officially opened as Connor Park Aerodrome on 2 March 1930. A few weeks later, the aerodrome was again officially opened as Rockhampton Aerodrome, and the first passenger aircraft, a Fokker monoplane, Star of Cairns, landed.