Airport Guide

History of Perth Airport

Work on a proper airport to serve the growing city of Perth started in 1938, though the start of the second world war soon after meant that the first planes to make use of the new facility were military rather than commercial.

After several years being used as a base for both Australian and US forces for operations in the Pacific, civilian flights were eventually launched in 1944 by Qantas Empire Airways, which was soon joined by the state-owned Trans Australia Airlines.

The airport continued to expand over the next couple of decades as a result of growing passenger and cargo traffic, with the first international flights - to South Africa and Mauritius - coming in the 1950s.

With the arrival of the first 747 jumbo jet in 1971, a new terminal building was needed, while the 1980s also saw the expansion of the airport's runway and passenger facilities in general.

More recently, the start of the new millennium saw the airport's international terminal given a major makeover, while a new taxiway was opened in 2004 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first commercial flight out of Perth.

Travelling to Perth Airport

Perth Airport does not have a rail connection - though plans are in place to introduce one by 2024 - meaning all passengers have to make use of road transport to connect to Perth city centre and other destinations.

Many hotels in downtown Perth run charter bus services to and from the terminal buildings.

At the same time, Transperth also runs regular public buses both to the city centre and to a number of suburbs, while it's also possible to rent a car at the airport and head onto the Great Eastern Highway to connect with other destinations across Western Australia and beyond.

Airlines Flying from Perth Airport

Perth Airport welcomes around 30 scheduled airlines, with travellers offered both domestic and international flights to around 70 destinations.

Within Australia itself, Qantas flies to Adelaide, Brisbane, Broome, Canberra, Darwin, Kalgoorlie, Karratha,  Melbourne, Port Hedland and Sydney, while its QantaLink services, operated by Cobham, also provide links to Alice Springs, Uluru and Newman.

Additionally, Jetstar Airways flies to Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney, Tiger Airways Australia to Adelaide, Avalon and Melbourne, and Virgin Blue to all the main cities.

Within Western Australia itself, more than a dozen small destinations are linked with Perth by Skywest Airlines, Cobham, Network Aviation and Skippers Aviation.

In terms of international flights, Qantas offers direct services to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.

Meanwhile, AirAsia X flies to Kuala Lumpur, Air Mauritius to Mauritius, Air New Zealand to Auckland, and Cathay Airways and Emirates to Hong Kong and Dubai respectively.

Malaysia Airlines also flies to Kuala Lumpur, while Royal Brunei and Singapore Airlines offer additional links to Asia, as do Thai Airways International, Tiger Airways and Pacific Blue.