Mildura Airport
Overview of Mildura Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorMildura Airport Pty Ltd.
LocationMildura, Victoria, Australia
Opened1923[1]
Elevation AMSL167 ft / 51 m
Coordinates34°13′45″S 142°05′08″E / 34.22917°S 142.08556°E / -34.22917; 142.08556
Websitemilduraairport.com.au
Map
MQL is located in Victoria
MQL
MQL
Location in Victoria
MQL is located in Australia
MQL
MQL
MQL (Australia)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 1,830 6,004 Grooved asphalt
18/36 1,139 3,737 Asphalt
Statistics (2021/22[2])
Passengers98,327
Aircraft movements4,427
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[3]
Passenger and aircraft movements from the BITRE[4]

Mildura Airport (IATA: MQL, ICAO: YMIA) is located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest[3] of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria,[5] the 33rd busiest Australian airport[4] and has twice been named Australia's Rural Airport of the Year.[6]

History

The airport was first established in 1920 as a landing ground for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In 1923, the airport was officially opened as a commercial airport.[1]

During World War II from 1942 until 1946 it was taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force as RAAF Base Mildura.[7] From 1961 to 1976, Australia and the United States Atomic Energy Commission conducted "Project HIBAL" Upper Atmosphere Sampling at Mildura Airport.[8][9][10][11]

In 1967 the Airport was used to launch balloons for the French National Center for Scientific Research.[12]

QantasLink de Havilland Dash 8 400 and Rex Airlines Saab 340 offer scheduled air services. Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 began the first scheduled jet service from 13 October 2008[13] before the route was withdrawn in 2020. It is also home to Cobden Air and the Mildura Aero Club.

Its terminal facilities underwent renovation in September 2012, a $6.4 million revamp by builders Mossop Construction + Interiors. This was completed to modernise the airport, as well as increase its passenger handling capabilities to support future air travel growth.

Exterior view of Mildura Airport terminal, 2007 (prior to renovations).

In February 2022, new budget airline Bonza announced they would commence flights to Mildura, from Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast. The airline will to fly to Melbourne three times per week and to the Sunshine Coast two times per week.[14]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Bonza Gold Coast,[15] Melbourne,[16] Sunshine Coast[17]
QantasLinkMelbourne, Sydney
Rex AirlinesMelbourne

Operations

Busiest domestic routes into and out of Mildura Airport (FY 2012[2])[18]
RankAirportPassengers carried % Change
1Melbourne, Victoria196,721Decrease1.0

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at MQL airport. See Wikidata query.

Accidents and incidents

  • On 18 June 2013, a Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 operating a flight from Brisbane to Adelaide with 91 passengers and crew on board diverted to Mildura due to heavy fog which had closed Adelaide airport. The flight carried enough fuel to allow roughly 30 minutes holding.[19] A Qantas 737 had also diverted to Mildura, arriving after the Virgin flight and radioed that they were running low on fuel. This was interpreted by the Virgin crew as an urgent situation and they allowed the Qantas flight to land ahead. With the airport's automated weather service unavailable and the visibility deteriorating, the Virgin flight conducted a missed approach and now critically low on fuel were forced to commit to an immediate emergency landing. Mildura was not equipped with an Instrument Landing System approach aid at the time and the crew performed the landing without visual reference to the runway on the second attempt. The aircraft landed with 535 kg (1,179 lb) remaining fuel.[20]
  • On 6 November 2015, the pilot of a Cessna 310R, on a private flight from Moorabbin, lost control and crashed on approach to land at Mildura, after the left engine was starved of fuel. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed.[21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Simon (20 August 2023). "Mildura Airport in Mildura, Victoria, Australia". Airport List. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June
  3. 1 2 YMIA – Mildura (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 2023-11-30, Aeronautical Chart Archived 15 March 2023 at bitre.gov.au (Error: unknown archive URL)
  4. 1 2 "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 27 June 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"
  5. ↑ Mildura Airport — Flights to Mildura Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Mildura Rural City Council - The Winner Is...Mildura Archived 13 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "RAAF Base Mildura". RAAF Museum.
  8. ↑ "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America relating to Upper Atmosphere Sampling (HIBAL). ATS 7 of 1961". Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America to extend the Agreement relating to Upper Atmosphere Sampling of 9 May 1961 ATS 12 of 1962 ". Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  10. ↑ Pacheco, Luis Eduardo. "Australian Balloon Launch Station (ABLS), Mildura, Victoria". stratocat.com.ar. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America to amend andextend the Agreement relating to Upper Atmosphere Sampling of 9 May 1961, as amended ATS 12 of 1969 ". Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Government of the French Republic concerning the Conduct of Balloon Launchings in Australia for Scientific and Meteorological Studies ATS 27 of 1967 ". Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Virgin Blue adds regional Australian destination". Aviation Record. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  14. ↑ "New airline promises direct flights from Mildura and Albury to the Sunshine Coast". ABC News. 15 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "Bonza Launches Gold Coast Base in Nov 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Bonza April/May 2023 Melbourne Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Bonza Outlines Operational Network in 1H23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Australian Domestic Airline Activity 2010-11". Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE). May 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"
  19. ↑ Ellen Whinnett (18 July 2013). "Virgin plane had just 535 kg of fuel when it made emergency landing at Mildura Airport". Herald Sun.
  20. ↑ "Aviation Occurrence Investigation AO-2013-100" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Aviation Occurrence Investigation AO-2015-129" (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. ATSB. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
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