Whitsunday Coast Airport
Whitsunday Coast Airport Proserpine Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Whitsunday Regional Council | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Whitsunday Regional Council | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Gunyarra, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 82 ft / 25 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 20°29′42″S 148°33′06″E / 20.49500°S 148.55167°E | ||||||||||||||
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  YBPN Location in Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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Whitsunday Coast Airport (IATA: PPP, ICAO: YBPN), also known as Proserpine Airport, is located in Gunyarra, Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Proserpine. The airport serves the mainland and offshore islands with flights to Brisbane (Alliance Airlines, Jetstar Airways, Virgin Australia), Sydney and Melbourne (Jetstar Airways).[2]
In the year ending 30 June 2014, the airport handled 282,000 passengers.[3] It is expected that by 2035 the airport will be handling in excess of 900,000 passengers.[4]
History
Plans to build an airfield in Proserpine commenced in 1936, however construction was delayed due to a lack of funding. Construction of the airport finally began in 1950.[5] The aerodrome was officially opened on Saturday 3 November 1951.[6]
In September 2001, the airport suffered heavily from the collapse of Ansett Australia, who at the time were the biggest operator out of Proserpine with direct services to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. It also operated seasonal flights to the Gold Coast and Adelaide.
The airport underwent an upgrade in 2010. The upgraded terminal was officially opened on 20 December 2011.[7]
In January 2014, Whitsunday Regional Council announced it was to discuss with the Government of Queensland the process for designating the airport precinct a PDA (Priority Development Area). This would make the future process of extending the runway the relatively short distance required to receive international services easier and to alleviate the industrial land crisis that has been affecting the Whitsunday Region for many years.[8]
In February 2022, Bonza announced that the airport would become one of its 17 destinations with the airline planning to fly to the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle and Toowoomba Wellcamp from Proserpine [9]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Alliance Airlines | Brisbane[10] |
| Bonza[11] | Gold Coast (begins 7 December 2023),[12] Newcastle, Sunshine Coast |
| Jetstar | Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney[13] |
| QantasLink | Brisbane[14] |
| Skytrans Airlines | Cairns, Rockhampton[15] |
| Virgin Australia | Brisbane |
Public Transport
Whitsunday Transit operate bus services from the airport.[16]
Accidents and incidents
- On 9 August 1981 a Cessna 210 departed the airport for Bankstown Airport in Sydney. The plane disappeared over the Barrington Tops in NSW and has never been located (see 1981 Barrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearance).
- On 11 May 1990 a Cessna 500 Astec Eagle departed the airport for Mareeba, Queensland containing local government staff, the plane subsequently crashed 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Mareeba Airport killing all 11 people on board.[17][18]
- On 2 April 2009 a Robinson R22 helicopter piloted by a 36-year-old man conducting training of a 26-year-old passenger crashed, the older man sustained head injuries.[19]
References
- ^ YBPN – Proserpine/Whitsunday Coast (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 13 June 2024, Aeronautical Chart Archived 11 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Airport Flight Departures Airport Guide
- ^ Whitsunday Council moves ahead with airport long-term leasing plan, stresses no sale Archived 19 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 23 October 2015
- ^ "Whitsunday Coast Airport forecast to handle 900,000 passengers by 2035 | Australian Aviation". australianaviation.com.au. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "UNDER WAY - The Proserpine Guardian (Qld. : 1935 - 1954) - 3 Mar 1950". Trove. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "OFFICIAL OPENING - Proserpine's £20,000 'Drome.TAA Service Receives Good Support - The Proserpine Guardian (Qld. : 1935 - 1954) - 9 Nov 1951". Trove. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Whitsunday Coast Airport Upgrade". Queensland Government Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "Council starts airport discussions". APN. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "Bonza Announces New Destinations". Bay939Radio. Bay939. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ "Alliance to fly Brisbane-Whitsundays". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Bonza Outlines Operational Network in 1H23". Aeroroutes. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Bonza Launches Gold Coast Base in Nov 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Jetstar adds Sydney – Proserpine route from April 2017". Routesonline. UBM (UK). Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Qantas Announces Daily Return Flights Between The Whitsundays and Brisbane". Courier Mail. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Skytrans major expansion in QLD". Skytrans. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ Airport Transfers Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Whitsunday Transit
- ^ "Air North Queensland Pty Ltd: Cessna 500 Astec Eagle VH-ANQ: 11 May 1990" (PDF). Bureau of Air Safety Investigation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "Database entry 19900511-0". Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "Print Email Facebook Twitter More Authorities probe Proserpine chopper crash". ABC. ABC. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
External links
