Christmas Island Airport
Encyclopedia
Christmas Island Airport is an airport
located on Christmas Island
, a territory of Australia
in the Indian Ocean
. The island is located 2600 kilometres (1,615.6 mi) northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth
, 500 km (310.7 mi) south of the Indonesia
n capital, Jakarta
, and 975 km (605.8 mi) east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
.
Although located on Australian territory, the airport is classified as a Category 4 international airport
for all arrivals, including those from Australia. It is owned by the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS), but is operated under contract by PDL Toll. The Government's decision to contract its airport operations in 2004 resulted in a reduction of the work force, which caused major industrial upheaval on a local basis, seeing Forte Airport Management, the contractor at the time, forced to defend in the Industrial Relations Commission its right to recruit staff under an Australian Workplace Agreement.
Short Sunderland
flying boats before the construction of the airport. Landing at Christmas Island in flying boats was difficult, since there is no sheltered port. As a result, aircraft were sometimes damaged landing in the ocean swells, and had to wait for spare parts and engineers to come by plane.
when the heightened RAAF traffic was complemented by a large number of DIMIA and media charters. During this incident, traffic at the airport is said to have been "near-continuous". Traffic relating to the processing of refugees and illegal immigrants has been frequent since the days of the "Tampa", and is set to continue with completion of the construction of a permanent processing centre on the island.
of 916 feet (279 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 18/36 with an asphalt
surface measuring 2103 by 45 m (6,899.6 by 147.6 ).
The airport's location at the top of a hill, with a 2% mid-runway gradient, makes it a challenging landing for pilots.
and SilkAir
occur from time to time. Tourist attractions such as the migration of the Christmas Island red crab and the island's Christmas Island Resort
have caused spikes in traffic levels. The construction of an immigration detention centre on the island resulted in a temporary increase in Royal Australian Air Force and Department of Immigration and Citizenship arrivals.
s during financial year 2009-2010, ranking it 85th amongst airports in Australia.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located on Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, a territory of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The island is located 2600 kilometres (1,615.6 mi) northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, 500 km (310.7 mi) south of the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n capital, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, and 975 km (605.8 mi) east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
.
Although located on Australian territory, the airport is classified as a Category 4 international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
for all arrivals, including those from Australia. It is owned by the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS), but is operated under contract by PDL Toll. The Government's decision to contract its airport operations in 2004 resulted in a reduction of the work force, which caused major industrial upheaval on a local basis, seeing Forte Airport Management, the contractor at the time, forced to defend in the Industrial Relations Commission its right to recruit staff under an Australian Workplace Agreement.
History
From the late 1940s, when the island was still a British colony administered by Singapore and the Straits Settlements Administration, it was serviced occasionally by RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
flying boats before the construction of the airport. Landing at Christmas Island in flying boats was difficult, since there is no sheltered port. As a result, aircraft were sometimes damaged landing in the ocean swells, and had to wait for spare parts and engineers to come by plane.
"Tampa" crisis
A brief revival of the "old days" happened in 2001 during the "Tampa" crisisTampa affair
In August 2001, the Howard Government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 438 rescued Afghans from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters, to enter Australian waters...
when the heightened RAAF traffic was complemented by a large number of DIMIA and media charters. During this incident, traffic at the airport is said to have been "near-continuous". Traffic relating to the processing of refugees and illegal immigrants has been frequent since the days of the "Tampa", and is set to continue with completion of the construction of a permanent processing centre on the island.
Satellite launch facility
After the closure of the casino, the Resort was taken over by the Asia Pacific Space Centre, which developed plans for a satellite launch facility on Christmas Island. The company, with solid financial participation from the Australian Government, had planned to start satellite launches in 2004. Technical staff was to include 350-400 Russian rocket scientists and engineers, and componentry was to be flown in on Antonov 124 and Boeing 747 freighters. To achieve this, the airport would need major extensions, and the Government allocated around A$55m to the task. This included a 600 m (1,969 ft) runway extension, plus additional taxiways, apron space, and other infrastructure, and resulted in a major review of the airport master plan, which is still current today. The master plan was reviewed on a "significant project" basis, and does not require structural review in the short term. For various reasons, the space project did not reach maturity, and the planned extensions were not carried out.Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 916 feet (279 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 18/36 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 2103 by 45 m (6,899.6 by 147.6 ).
The airport's location at the top of a hill, with a 2% mid-runway gradient, makes it a challenging landing for pilots.
Airlines and destinations
Traffic
Traffic to and from the airport varies greatly. The occasional charters from overseas airlines, such as Malaysia AirlinesMalaysia Airlines
Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
and SilkAir
SilkAir
SilkAir Private Limited is an airline based in Singapore. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and operates scheduled passenger services from Singapore to 31 cities in Southeast Asia, South Asia and China. It has its head office on the fifth storey of SIA Superhub 1...
occur from time to time. Tourist attractions such as the migration of the Christmas Island red crab and the island's Christmas Island Resort
Christmas Island Resort
The Christmas Island Resort, often called the Christmas Island Casino, is a holiday resort on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean lying about 300 km south of Java and 1600 km north-west of the Australian mainland...
have caused spikes in traffic levels. The construction of an immigration detention centre on the island resulted in a temporary increase in Royal Australian Air Force and Department of Immigration and Citizenship arrivals.
Statistics
Christmas Island Airport airport served 14,287 revenue passengerRevenue passenger
A revenue passenger is someone who has paid the transport operator for her or his trip. That excludes non-paying passengers such as airline employees flying on free or nearly-free passes, babies and children who do not have a seat of their own, etc...
s during financial year 2009-2010, ranking it 85th amongst airports in Australia.