Norfolk Island Airport
Encyclopedia
Norfolk Island Airport is the only airport on Norfolk Island
, an external territory of Australia
. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean
between Australia, New Zealand
, and New Caledonia
. The airport is operated by the Administration of Norfolk Island.
as a defensive measure to counter feared Japanese operations in the South Pacific
. As Norfolk Island did not have enough flat ground, several bulldozers were used to knock the tops off of several hills, and fill in the valleys between them. Steel mesh was then used to make a solid surface.
Initially used for bomber patrols and for a transport service to Bougainville Island
, the airfield was never used as a major base and became a stopover for aircraft travelling between Australia, New Caledonia
, New Zealand
and the Solomon Islands
. The Royal New Zealand Air Force
left the airfield in July 1946. At the airfield was an air-sea rescue unit, a servicing section and a radar
unit installation at Mount Bates.
, and the Pacific Islands
.
Located 852 km (460 nautical miles) southeast of Norfolk is Kaitaia Airport
the most northerly airfield in New Zealand, 754 km (407 nautical miles) north is Noumea
Airport in New Caledonia
, and 900 km (486 nautical miles) west is Lord Howe Island Airport
which is 600 km (323 nautical miles) to the Australian mainland.
These distances are within the range of many light aircraft when fitted with long range tanks, while the direct distance without using Norfolk Island as a stepping stone, is usually beyond their capabilities.
From New Caledonia other Pacific Islands such as Vanuatu and Fiji are within range and can be used as further 'stepping stones' to the other South Pacific and North Pacific destinations.
of 371 feet (113 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 11/29 measuring 1950 by 45 m (6,397.6 by 147.6 ) and 04/22 measuring 1435 by 30 m (4,708 by 98.4 ).
and Hamilton, New Zealand
were terminated by Norfolk Air
in 2008.
s served in financial year 2009-2010.
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, an external 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...
. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
between Australia, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. The airport is operated by the Administration of Norfolk Island.
History
The airstrip was built during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a defensive measure to counter feared Japanese operations in the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. As Norfolk Island did not have enough flat ground, several bulldozers were used to knock the tops off of several hills, and fill in the valleys between them. Steel mesh was then used to make a solid surface.
Initially used for bomber patrols and for a transport service to Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, the airfield was never used as a major base and became a stopover for aircraft travelling between Australia, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
left the airfield in July 1946. At the airfield was an air-sea rescue unit, a servicing section and a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
unit installation at Mount Bates.
Light aircraft transit
Norfolk Island is an important transit and refueling point for light aircraft flying between Australia, New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
.
Located 852 km (460 nautical miles) southeast of Norfolk is Kaitaia Airport
Kaitaia Airport
Kaitaia Airport is located at Kaitaia in the Northland Region, of New Zealand. It's about 4 hours drive from Auckland and a 45 minute flight from Auckland International Airport....
the most northerly airfield in New Zealand, 754 km (407 nautical miles) north is Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
Airport in New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, and 900 km (486 nautical miles) west is Lord Howe Island Airport
Lord Howe Island Airport
Lord Howe Island Airport is a regional and international airport providing air transportation to Lord Howe Island, a dependency of New South Wales, Australia. Lord Howe Island is located in the Tasman Sea, east of mainland Port Macquarie...
which is 600 km (323 nautical miles) to the Australian mainland.
These distances are within the range of many light aircraft when fitted with long range tanks, while the direct distance without using Norfolk Island as a stepping stone, is usually beyond their capabilities.
From New Caledonia other Pacific Islands such as Vanuatu and Fiji are within range and can be used as further 'stepping stones' to the other South Pacific and North Pacific destinations.
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 371 feet (113 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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...
paved 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...
s: 11/29 measuring 1950 by 45 m (6,397.6 by 147.6 ) and 04/22 measuring 1435 by 30 m (4,708 by 98.4 ).
Airlines and destinations
Flights to the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
and Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
were terminated by Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air
Norfolk Air is an airline based on Norfolk Island, it is currently an operating department of the Administration of Norfolk Island , flights are operated by Our Airline and operating under an Australia Airline Operators Certificate...
in 2008.
Statistics
Norfolk Island Airport was ranked 50th in Australia for the number of 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 served in financial year 2009-2010.