Ayers Rock Airport
Ayers Rock Airport (also known as Connellan Airport) (IATA: AYQ, ICAO: YAYE) is situated near Yulara, around 463 km (288 mi) (5 hrs drive) away from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and 20 minutes drive from Uluru (Ayers Rock) itself. An average of just under 300,000 passengers pass through this airport each year.[4]
Ayers Rock Airport Connellan Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Operator | Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia Pty Ltd | ||||||||||
Location | Yulara[1] | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,626 ft / 496 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 25°11′10″S 130°58′32″E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
YAYE Location in the Northern Territory | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2010-11[2]) | |||||||||||
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History
The original Connellan Airport at Uluru was provided by Edward Connellan, who founded Connellan Airways in 1942. The development of tourism infrastructure adjacent to the base of Uluru that began in the 1950s soon created adverse environmental impacts. It was decided in the early 1970s to remove all accommodation-related tourist facilities from near the base of Uluru and re-establish them outside the national park. In 1975, a reservation of 104 km2 (40 sq mi) of land beyond the national park's northern boundary, 15 km (9.3 mi) from Uluru, was approved for the development of a tourist facility, to be known as Yulara, along with a new airport. The new facilities became fully operational in late 1984. On 6 August 2000, an Ansett Australia Airbus A320 arrived from Auckland Airport in New Zealand, carrying the Sydney Olympic Torch for its inaugural Australian leg. From there, the torch was taken for a run around Uluru, followed by a formal reception.
Facilities
Ayers Rock Airport has one main terminal for scheduled flights. The runway at Ayers Rock Airport is 2,599 m × 30 m (8,527 ft × 98 ft). It has a simple, single stage lighting system and T-VASIS. The largest aircraft that Ayers Rock Airport caters for is Boeing 737-800s operated by Virgin Australia.
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
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Jetstar Airways | Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney |
Qantas | Adelaide, Darwin |
QantasLink | Alice Springs, Cairns |
Virgin Australia | Sydney |
References
- "Place Names Register Extract for "Connellan Airport"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June
- YAYE – Ayers Rock/Connellan (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 21 May 2020, Aeronautical Chart Archived 10 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "Airport Traffic Data 1985-86 to 2010-11". Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE). May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"