Perth Airport

Perth Airport (IATA: PER, ICAO: YPPH) is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, Western Australia.
It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries of the cities of Belmont, Kalamunda and Swan. Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport, the other civilian airport within the mainland Perth metropolitan region located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-southwest of the general aviation area of the airport, recorded a combined total of 362,782 aircraft movements in 2017.
Perth Airport covers a total of 2,105 hectares (5,202 acres) of airport property.
Since 1997, it has been operated by Perth Airport Pty Ltd under a 99-year lease from the federal government.
The airport is located approximately 10 km (6 mi) east of the Perth central business district. It is one of three civilian airports within the Perth metropolitan area, the others being Jandakot Airport and Rottnest Island Airport. Besides the civilian airports, there are also two military airports within the Perth metropolitan area. The larger of the two is RAAF Base Pearce, 30 km (19 mi) to the north of Perth Airport, at Bullsbrook. The other is 42 km (26 mi) south-west of Perth Airport, and is a part of the military base of HMAS Stirling on Garden Island.
Perth Airport is located on the Aboriginal traditional Whadjak-Noongar country.
The airport saw strong passenger growth from 2000 to 2012, primarily due to the state's prolonged mining boom and an increase in traffic from international low-cost carrier airlines. By the end of June 2012, Perth Airport experienced passenger growth of 11.7% internationally and 6.9% domestically, resulting in an overall increase of 10.3%. Passenger numbers trebled in the 10 years from 2002 to 2012 with more than 12.6 million people travelling through the airport in 2012. Since 2012, the winding down of the mining boom has seen the demand for both intra- and interstate services contract, with domestic passengers falling from a peak of 9.9 million (as of June 2013) to 9.5 million by the end of June 2016. The growth in passenger numbers since 2012 has been wholly due to expansion of international services from the city. The first mining boom in 1979 had 679,000 passengers use the airport. This number now travels through the airport every eighteen days.
As well as passenger movements however, complaints about the impact of the airport on the residents of Perth have grown. The City of Canning, one area that is affected, accepts that "aircraft noise is an important issue" and that "[it] does impact heavily on those suburbs under the flightpaths". Another affected area, the City of Swan, "has experienced significant issues". Indeed, planning policy adopted by the Government of Western Australia recognises that some aircraft noise is “not compatible with residential or educational” land use, two fundamental uses of land in any conurbation that is home to over two million residents—such as Greater Perth.
Prior to the opening of the Perth Airport, civilian air services for the city were provided from Maylands Aerodrome as well as on the city's foreshore at Langley Park. By the end of the 1930s, it became clear that the Maylands Aerodrome was limited in the size and speed of aircraft it was able to handle thus causing them to seek an alternative site for a future airport.
Site selection and preparation of the original plans was undertaken by NM Fricker of the Department of Civil Aviation. In 1938, land was selected and purchased for the new aerodrome. The site selected in what was at the time Guildford, was an area of land granted by Governor James Stirling to local man John Scott, which later became the long disused Dunreath Golf Course.
A plaque located on a roadside wall of the old International terminal remains in permanent memory of Scott:
Even before civil aviation operations could commence at the new site, the onset of World War II saw the facility being redesigned for military purposes as a temporary base for the Royal Australian Air Force and United States Navy, known as "RAAF Station Guildford", primarily to supplement RAAF Base Pearce. Royal Australian Air Force No. 85 Squadron was based there from February 1943.
Despite military use of the airfield, civil services operated by Qantas Empire Airways and Australian National Airways (ANA) commenced from the location in 1944. This was despite bitter protest from military authorities who felt civilian operations would undermine the defence and camouflage needs of the location.
The move was agreed to by the government, as the larger types of aircraft of the day being operated by the two airlines could simply not be handled at Maylands, notwithstanding the small grass airfield, lack of passenger facilities, and approaches being difficult due to surrounding industrial infrastructure. Using Douglas DC-3 aircraft, ANA flew the first commercial service from the aerodrome to Adelaide. On 17 June 1944, Qantas made its inaugural flight to Ceylon via Exmouth using a modified Consolidated B-24 Liberator, arriving in Perth on 3 June 1944 having been released to the airline by the British Government.
Full civilian operations at the Guildford Aerodrome commenced in 1944. Civil operations at Maylands continued albeit reduced until 30 June 1963, when the airport closed and its function as a secondary airport was taken over by Jandakot Airport the very next day.
Guildford Aerodrome was at best only a basic airfield. On a large open airfield with plenty of space, an unobtrusive control tower was hidden away amongst a collection of buildings inherited from the wartime operations at the site. The Department of Civil Aviation inherited a large number of operating vehicles from the former military occupants, including an assortment of vehicles including (Ford or Chevrolet) Blitz wagons, Dodge command cars and weapon carriers, large trucks and various makes of fire tenders, jeeps and ambulances. Boarding aircraft at Guildford was described as being a bit like boarding a bus given the lack of passenger facilities at the time.
In 1948, the Horrie Miller owned MacRobertson Miller Airlines relocated from Maylands to Guildford. followed by newly formed government airline Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) on 2 December of that same year, operating Douglas C-54 Skymasters on its Perth – Melbourne – Sydney route. Due to the lack of road transportation across the Nullarbor Plain, it was at this time that Guildford became the scene of very busy cargo operations. Fresh fruit, vegetables and manufactured goods were being flown from east to west and back again.
The airport was granted international status in September 1952, and renamed from Guildford Aerodrome to Perth Airport in March 1953. Officiated by the Federal Minister for Civil Aviation, Hubert Anthony, the official ceremony for the renaming took place on the main apron in front of a converted Bellman hangar used by TAA as its passenger terminal. At the time, a new international terminal building was under construction but had not been completed in time for the ceremony. This new terminal was being constructed using steel and cladding recycled from American-built military quonset buildings being dismantled and shipped over from Manus Island.
It was also on this day that Qantas commenced its Wallaby service using Lockheed Constellations from Sydney to South Africa via Perth, the Cocos Islands and Mauritius.
Towards the mid-1950s, airline travel was still being used by only a small percentage of the population. At that time, only 8% of the population had ever flown, but as the marketplace evolved, so did the types of people and their reasons for flying.
It was at this time the airport began to experience the full effects of the jet age. Both Air India and Qantas commenced operating Boeing 707s in the mid to late 1950s from Perth to Singapore and the sub continent. As the aircraft of the day grew faster more demanding due to their sophistication, facilities at the airport continued to improve to accommodate them. By the mid-1960s the airport was serving its first domestic pure jet engine aircraft, commencing with a Boeing 727 in 1964, and the Douglas DC-9 in 1967, both types operated by TAA and Ansett ANA. It was at this time that the airport was one of the few major airports in the country which operated without curfews, and due to the increased number and frequency of flights operating from the airport it gave birth to what was then referred to as the midnight horror or red-eye special, known in more recent history as the red-eye flight.
In 1960, the then international terminal previously constructed from steel and cladding from Manus Island was dismantled and re-erected in the suburb of Cannington. Known as The Alco Building, it was re-designed for use as a commercial facility.
The removal of the steel structure made way for the construction of an entirely new combined domestic and international passenger terminal, constructed on the northern side of the airfield. It was in 1962 that airlines were able to move from their hangars into a new combined passenger terminal, designed by the Commonwealth Department of Works and opened just in time to handle 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games traffic increases. The new combined terminal was opened that same year by then Minister for Civil Aviation, Senator Shane Paltridge; it was built in an area positioned between the present Terminals 3 and 4 and is currently used as the crew base for both Qantas and Jetstar, and offices for airlines and support firms.
From 1962 onwards, both the domestic and international passenger operations at the airport were provided by a single terminal. When it opened, the terminal's facilities included an observation deck, a pond with black swans, and a cocktail lounge named the Orbit Inne, which became popular with locals as it was the only place in Perth that served drinks on Sunday nights. By the arrival of the Boeing 747 on 3 September 1971, the terminal had reached its capacity, and modelling of future passenger numbers showed it would be unable to handle any further increases in passenger demand.
In November 1980, the Federal Transport Minister, Ralph Hunt, announced that a new international terminal would be built in Perth at a cost of $26 million (1980). Design of the new International Terminal commenced in 1982, with one of the key principles of the design being the allowance for easy future expansion as the needs of the airport dictated. The project called for the construction of a new terminal, apron, airside roads, access roads, car parks and other passenger facilities.
Construction of the new International Terminal and control tower commenced in March 1984 on the south-eastern side of the airfield. In 1984, the road leading to the new terminal, Horrie Miller Drive was named in honour of local aviation pioneer Horrie Miller. The terminal was officially opened on 25 October 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke, with the new terminal receiving passengers just days after. The newly built control tower was the tallest in Australia at the time of its construction, and remains the tallest in Australia.
Upon completion, the terminal was able to process up to five Boeing 747 aircraft per hour and accommodated a peak passenger volume of 6,000 passengers per hour. Twenty years later, in the 12 months to June 2006 the terminal processed over 2.027 million passengers, surpassing a 1996 projection of 1.016 million passengers in that period.
In the late 1980s the Federal Government, as a prelude to eventual privatisation, formed the Federal Airports Corporation (FAC). In 1988, the FAC took over as manager of Perth Airport (and many other Australian airports).
At this time also, airline operators Australian Airlines (now Qantas domestic) and Ansett set about on ambitious capital works programs to construct new domestic terminals for their respective airlines on the northern side of the terminal, where they still stand to this day. In 2001, after the financial collapse of Ansett, the Ansett terminal became a multi-user terminal, catering for flights from former Ansett-subsidiary Skywest, as well as Virgin Australia and now charter airlines including Alliance Airlines and previously Air Australia. The Ansett terminal is known now as Terminal 1 Domestic, and the old International terminal is known as Terminal 1 International. The Air Australia and Qantas terminal is now Terminal 3-4, operating flights by Qantas and Jetstar.
In July 1997 Perth Airport Pty Ltd took up a 99-year lease as part of the Federal Government's push to privatise airports. As at February 2024, Future Fund (30%), Utilities Trust of Australia (23%) and AustralianSuper (17%) were the major shareholders.
From 2003 to 2004, the International terminal underwent major internal refurbishments to provide an increased array of passenger services, including increased space for duty-free stores and food and beverage concession stands. Further upgrades valued at $25 million (2006) were made to the terminal across 2005 and 2006 which added an additional 2,500 m (27,000 sq ft) of floor space, additional check-in counters, and an improved baggage handling and screening system.
The airport commemorated its 60th anniversary in 2004, with an event that opened the new Taxiway Sierra, a new taxiway supporting larger aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Airbus A340 and Airbus A380.
On 14 October 2008, the Airbus A380 made its first visit to the airport as a part of Qantas' A380 promotional tour around Australia. The second A380 to visit the airport was an Emirates aircraft which made an emergency landing on 15 August 2009, after a passenger on a Dubai to Sydney flight suffered a stroke.
In 2012, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a report rating the Perth Airport as the worst in Australia, as judged by airlines. The same report rated it below satisfactory for the second year in a row. However, due to more recent expansions and projects, the airport was awarded Capital City airport of the year by the Australian Airports Association at their national conference in 2016. In 2018, Perth Airport was named the best airport in Australia for overall service quality by the ACCC after the completion of a $1 billion redevelopment project over the span of 5 years.
Terminal 2 was officially opened on 28 February 2013, with the first flights operating out of the terminal from 2 March 2013. The single story terminal features at-grade access to the terminal building and dedicated pick-up and drop-off lanes at the front of the terminal, a centralised passenger security screening zone, three baggage reclaim belts as well 14 aircraft bays, accessible from enclosed walkways and serviced by 8 boarding counters, and 36 additional aircraft parking bays.
In April 2015 works commenced on a $42 million upgrade of the forecourt and the passenger pick-up/drop-off areas in front of Terminal 1 to improve access. The upgrade was completed in November 2016.
In May 2015, Emirates commenced the first Airbus A380 service to Perth from Dubai following the completion of a dual level boarding gate, an expanded check-in hall, a refurbished departure area and other expansions to Terminal 1 including a new Emirates business class lounge. In August 2017, Emirates replaced its last remaining Emirates Boeing 777-300ER service with an Airbus A380, taking the total Emirates daily services to two. However, this service was replaced by a Boeing 777 in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. On 1 November 2022, the first regular A380 service resumed.
On 22 November 2015 the domestic pier of Terminal 1 was opened; the pier became the exclusive home to Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia's partner, Etihad Airways began daily direct services from its hub in Abu Dhabi on 16 July 2014; the pier ensures quick and seamless transfers between the two airlines. The pier will also be connected to Terminal 2 via an elevated walkway allowing seamless transfer to Virgin's regional services without having to be re-screened.
On 15 May 2016, the world's largest commercial jet airliner, the Antonov An-225 Mriya landed at Perth Airport, making its first visit to Perth and Australia.
On 11 December 2016, Qantas announced that it would commence non-stop flights from Perth to London Heathrow with one of its newly acquired Boeing 787s. To achieve this the Qantas domestic terminals at T3/T4 were upgraded during 2017 to cater for international flights. Once completed the existing Qantas flights to Singapore and Auckland also migrated from T1 to T3/T4, with all Qantas’ international flights now departing from Terminal 3’s international section. Services to London started in March 2018. In June 2022 Qantas began direct flights from Perth to Rome to be operated on a seasonal basis, three times a week; this created Perth Airport's second direct connection to Europe. These services were followed by a direct service to Paris Charles de Gaulle beginning in July 2024, the third connection to Europe.
In May 2018, Qatar Airways upgraded their Perth-Doha service from the Boeing 777 to the Airbus A380, making them the second airline to begin A380 services to Perth. Although this service was downgraded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways would ultimately resume A380 services to Perth in December 2022.
In May 2024, it was announced that terminals T3 and T4 will receive upgrades to create additional capacity for Qantas services before the airline ultimately moves to a new terminal in the Airport Central precinct in 2031. In addition, domestic Jetstar services moved to T2 from December 2024, before rejoining Qantas at the new terminal once it is completed. These upgrades are part of an estimated $5 billion investment in the airport which will fund construction of both the new terminal and a third runway as well as two multi-storey carparks and a hotel in the Airport Central precinct.
On 28 June 2024, Rex Airlines commenced operations to Adelaide using Embraer E190s from National Jet Express, and to Melbourne using their own Boeing 737 aircraft. This marked the first time Rex had flown across the country to Perth. These flights were later withdrawn after Rex entered voluntary administration in July 2024.
In October 2024, it was announced that the airport's first hotel would be open by 2027. Construction of the third runway was also announced to start in early 2025 for a 2028 opening.
Perth Airport has five terminals: four main terminals and one minor terminal.
Flights are serviced by two runways – the main 03/21 runway, 3,444 m × 45 m (11,299 ft × 148 ft) and 06/24, 2,163 m × 45 m (7,096 ft × 148 ft).
In 1965, Runway 03/21 was extended from 7,500 ft (2,286 m) to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) to accommodate Boeing 707s.
After a 10-month project, a reconstructed cross runway was opened on 21 October 2005. The upgrades involved significant strengthening works and enlargement of turning nodes to accommodate regular operations by wide bodied aircraft, including the Airbus A380.
Meteorological services for Perth Airport commenced in May 1944, provided by the Guildford Meteorological Office situated at Ivy Street, Redcliffe.
In March 1988, surface observations were moved to the recently vacated old airport tower on the northern side of the airfield (near what is now Terminal 3). The Ivy Street location was retained for a time for radar services and the launching and tracking of weather balloons. In October 1997, all operations from the Ivy Street Office and Old Control Tower were transferred to a newly constructed office on the Northern Perimeter Road in Belmont, in the north-eastern corner of the airfield.
Perth Airport resides within the Melbourne FIR, which is managed by Melbourne Centre and operated by Airservices Australia.
There are two dedicated spotting areas at Perth Airport. Terminal T1 has an Observation Deck on level 3 to view departing and arriving aircraft. It has vending machines, toilets (downstairs) and flight information displays.
The second spotting area is to the west side opposing the threshold of Runway 03 located along Dunreath Drive. The public viewing area has a shelter in the shape of the body section of a Boeing 747, and displays of information about the history of aviation.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has its Perth regional office on Level 2 of the Hkew Alpha Building on the property of Perth Domestic Airport.
Since May 2014, terminals T1 International, T2 Regional and T3 Domestic have a free Wi-Fi connection currently powered by iiNet. It is accessible throughout the entirety of the departure and arrival areas. Currently, T4 Qantas Domestic also has free Wi-Fi service provided by Qantas.
The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia had a purpose-built driver training facility at Perth Airport, the only one of its kind in the state. It was located towards the east of the current T1 International Terminal on Grogan Road.
Perth Airport is served by 30 scheduled airlines flying to over 50 destinations in Australia, Oceania, Asia, Africa and Europe. A total of 1258 scheduled domestic and regional flights arrive and depart from Perth Airport each week. On the international front, a total of 213 scheduled international flights arrive and depart from Perth Airport each week. The following carriers operate to the following destinations:
^1 Virgin Australia's flight to Doha is operated by Qatar Airways through a wet lease agreement
Qantas operates dedicated 'flightseeing' services over Antarctica from Perth. These flights, using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, depart Perth from Terminals 3 and 4, and provide a guided aerial tour of Antarctica before returning to Australia. These flights are about thirteen hours in total.
Total passengers using the airport has increased on average by 2.5% annually since 1998 to 2022, with 78% of passenger traffic at the airport attributed to domestic travel in 2022.
Road access from the city to terminals T1 and T2 is via Tonkin Highway and Airport Drive, and to terminals T3 and T4 via Tonkin Highway, Dunreath Drive and Brearley Avenue, or via Great Eastern Highway and Fauntleroy Avenue.
Transperth operates route 292, a circular route connecting terminals T3 and T4 to Redcliffe railway station. Transperth also operates route 37 from terminals T1 and T2 to Curtin University bus station. A transfer bus is operated by Carbridge between the T1/T2 and T3/T4 terminal precincts. Horizons West operate services between the terminals and surrounding carparks.
A number of car rental companies have set up operations at the airport, and all terminals feature pick-up and drop-off areas dedicated to taxis and rideshare services.
Situated about 250 metres (820 ft) from terminals T1 and T2, Airport Central station is on the Airport line that runs through to the Perth central business district. The station and line opened on 9 October 2022. It is connected to terminals 1 and 2 via an enclosed pedestrian bridge.
The closest station to terminals T3 and T4 is Redcliffe, also on the Airport line, at a distance of about 980 metres (3,220 ft). Passengers for Terminals 3 and 4 can catch bus route 292, a circular service from Terminals 3 and 4 to Redcliffe station.
There are three emergency alternative airports for Perth, used usually in the case of fog or bad weather affecting Perth. In 2013, the state government flagged the need for a new emergency alternative airport, with Exmouth's Learmonth Airport and Adelaide Airport being inconvenient due to their significant distance from Perth. In 2017, plans for Cunderdin Airport to become a diversion airport for Perth were put in place. In 2018, it was proposed that Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport would be a better alternative than Cunderdin. In 2019, Busselton Margaret River Airport had its bid to become a designated alternate international airport approved.
In April 2020, Perth Airport staff parked heavy vehicles and heavy equipment in front of some Virgin Australia aircraft to prevent them from moving due to alleged unpaid debts by the airline.
In May 2024, a refuelling malfunction at the airport resulted in at least 70 international and domestic flights to be cancelled, delayed or diverted to regional airports.
On 15 September 2024, Runway 03 suffered pavement failure after a Qantas Airbus A330 took off from it. No one was injured however the runway suffered severe damage and forced the diversion of a Boeing 747-8F due to insufficient runway length.
The 2004 Perth Airport Master Plan aimed for the domestic and international terminals to be consolidated into a single terminal on the south-eastern side of the airfield by 2024. The updated 2020 Perth Airport Master Plan included a major expansion and upgrade of Terminal 1 and the construction of a new terminal adjacent to house Qantas' operations as part of the consolidation plans, with an intended completion date set for 2025.
However, the consolidation process faced protracted delays due to Qantas initially preferring to continue operating out of Terminals 3 and 4, a stance that drew criticism from both Perth Airport and the Western Australian state government. Qantas' transfer to Terminal 1 had been initially set to be completed by late 2025, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting air travel. Qantas had also cited a desire to upgrade and build out their current Perth hub in order to launch new international services before committing to a move to new facilities “over the long term”.
In May 2024, it was confirmed that Qantas and Perth Airport had come to an agreement for Qantas and Jetstar to move to a new terminal in the Airport Central precinct by 2031.
The construction of a new runway (03R/21L) is planned. The new runway will be 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) long and 45 metres (148 ft) wide, while running parallel to the existing main runway and located between Terminal 1 and Abernethy Road. Construction of the runway is due to start in early 2025, with an intended opening in 2028.
Perth Airport have confirmed plans to construct a 250-room hotel and two multi-storey carparks next to Airport Central Station, in alignment with its terminal consolidation plans.
The first of the new six-level carparks began construction in mid-2024 with an intended completion date of 2026. The existing road network in front of T1 and T2 will also be reconfigured, and will see new dedicated pick-up and drop-off points for passengers.
In October 2024 the airport announced it has partnered with Accor to run the hotel under the Pullman brand. The Pullman Perth Airport hotel is scheduled to be opened in 2027.