350 RAAF personnel and their aircraft assemble at Canberra Aerodrome and Duntroon in preparation for the mass fly past to celebrate the opening of Parliament House.
The first building formally documented at the ‘Duntroon Aerodrome’ (later to become Canberra Aerodrome) was a large hangar in 1936 at the site where the northern end of Canberra’s present terminal stands. By 1939 work had already begun on the construction of a RAAF Fairbairn on the opposite side of the aerodrome from the civilian hangar.
Fun Fact: the wooden hut to the left of the hangar was the first ‘terminal’!
Construction of the new runway was underway. Runway 12/30 was operational, while Runway 17/35 was still in the early stages of development.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip arrive at Canberra Airport for the first time.
With news of the forthcoming opening of New Parliament House in 1988, a new domestic terminal was needed requiring a major restructuring of the existing terminal. Rolling additions continued throughout the early 1990s with the terminal reaching completion in 1992. The Commonwealth Government later sold the Canberra Airport to Canberra businessman Terry Snow and his family in 1998.
Project ‘AirVolution’ began. This involved the demolition of the existing terminal to make way for a new 55,000m2 terminal including:
Other upgrades also included five new carparks, a new two-level, dual-lane, axial road system and an upgraded apron.
Here you can see just how incredible it was to pull off such a feat, with the construction of the new terminal commencing in stages while the existing terminal continued daily service.
The new terminal is complete, featuring ‘Unfurling’ by Andrew Rogers, a 7.5m high bronze sculpture in the departures atrium.
On 16 September 2016, Singapore Airlines flight SQ 291 touched down at Canberra Airport, ushering in a new era of international flights for the nation’s capital. Dubbed the “Capital Express”, the four-weekly service operated between Singapore, Canberra and Wellington.
As we celebrate 95 years of Canberra Airport, the future looks bright for our airport. We’re well on the way to achieving our goal of becoming the Best Little Airport in the World.