Hobart Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Queensland Investment Corporation (35%) Schiphol Group (35%) CareSuper (30%) | ||||||||||
| Operator | Hobart Airport Pty Ltd | ||||||||||
| Serves | Hobart | ||||||||||
| Location | Cambridge, Tasmania, Australia | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1956; 69 years ago (1956) | ||||||||||
| Hub for | QantasLink | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 13 ft / 4 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°50′12″S147°30′36″E / 42.83667°S 147.51000°E /-42.83667; 147.51000 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
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  HBA/YMHB  HBA/YMHB  HBA/YMHB  HBA/YMHB | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2016–2017) | |||||||||||
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Source:AIP[1] passengers from theDepartment of Infrastructure & Transport Operations fromAirservices Australia[2][3] | |||||||||||
Hobart Airport (IATA:HBA,ICAO:YMHB) is anairport located inCambridge, 17 km (11 mi) north-east of theHobart central business district. It is the principal airport ofTasmania.[4]
Thefederal government owned airport is operated by the Tasmanian Gateway Consortium under a 99-year lease.[5][6]
The airport maintains a conjoined international and domestic terminal. The major airlines servicing the airport areQantas,Jetstar andVirgin Australia operating domestic flights predominantly toMelbourne,Sydney andBrisbane.[4] International flights toAuckland, New Zealand, operate two to three times weekly withAir New Zealand.
Due to the airport's southern location,Skytraders operates regular flights toAntarctica on behalf of theAustralian Antarctic Division using anAirbus A319.[6][7]
Hobart International Airport was opened in 1956 and privatised in 1988.[8] Occupying approximately 565 ha (1,400 acres) of land,[6] the airport is situated on a narrow peninsula. Take-offs and landings are inevitably directed over bodies of water regardless of approach or departure direction. The region immediately surrounding the airport remains largely unpopulated, which enables the airport to operatecurfew-free services.[6]
In the 2018–19 financial year, the airport handled 2.6 million passenger movements, making it theninth busiest airport in Australia.[4]
Prior to the existence of the airport, the region was served byCambridge Airport,[6] a small airport located close to the existing site. As air travel became more frequent and the number of flights increased, it was clear that Cambridge airport was only suitable for light aircraft. In June 1948, Prime MinisterBen Chifley announced the construction of a newAU£760,000 airport at Llanherne.[9] With Australia's continual interest inAntarctica, it was believed the southernmost airport of Australia would serve as an ideal base for heavy aircraft serving the region.[9] Hobart Airport was commissioned in 1956 as the primary regular public transport airport.[10] It was initially named Llanherne Airport, after the property on which it was built, but the name has since fallen into disuse. In its first full year of operation, the airport processed 120,086 passengers and 11,724 tonnes of freight, ranking fifth in Australia.[11]
By 1957, the airport's infrastructure comprised a small terminal building which remains at the south-eastern end of the current terminal, two freighthangars, a fuel depot, a timberweather station, and the airport administration office and works compound.[10] In 1964, the Federal Government upgraded and lengthened the runway to cater forjet aircraft. The runway was extended again in 1985[10] to cater for large aircraft such as theBoeing 747 andAntonov 124 (albeit to a limited operating range).[10] The current domestic terminal building was officially opened on 28 July 1976[12] and the international terminal building in 1986.[10][13] The Federal Government corporatised the airport in January 1988 with the establishment of theFederal Airports Corporation.[14]
In June 1998, Hobart Airport was privatised, with a 99-year lease purchased by a consortium ofHobart Ports Corporation, Hambros Australia and Airport Group International.[15][16][10][17] In 2004, the domestic terminal was redeveloped for the first time in its 30-year history. This development involved modernising the terminal, moving the retail shops to within the security screening area, realignment of the car park and moving thecar rental facilities to a new building in the car park. In 2005, Hobart Airport experienced record annual passenger numbers[11] and it was decided to bring forward plans to upgrade the seating capacity of the airport. This work expanded the domestic terminal building over the tarmac by three metres to provide more departure lounge space.
In December 2007, the Tasmanian Government sold theTasPorts owned subsidiary for $350 million to the Tasmanian Gateway Consortium, a privateconsortium made up of Macquarie Capital (one ofMacquarie Group's infrastructure funds) and Tasmania's public sector superannuation fund, the Tasplan.[6] The sale was in line with other state capital airport sell-offs, and Hobart airport was the last capital city airport remaining under government control. In October 2019, Macquarie Capital sold its stake toQueensland Investment Corporation andSchiphol Group.[18][19]
In February 2024,Hutchinson Builders began work to double the size of the terminal.[20] In July 2024, work began to upgrade the runway to accommodateAirbus A350 andBoeing 787s.[21][22]
Hobart Airport has two passengerterminals. In 2007, the two terminals were connected in a $15 million[23] development to meet new Commonwealth legislation that requires all checked luggage to beX-rayed.[24] In 2008, the airport received a commendation for public architecture at the Tasmanian Chapter of theAustralian Institute of Architects, for the new terminal upgrade.[25] The airport currently maintains a combined international, domestic andgeneral aviationapron. Provisions have been made to create a dedicated general aviation apron to the south of the one currently in use.[6] The 2022 draft masterplan confirms that the terminal building will be increasing in size from the current 12,000 m2 (129,167 sq ft) to around 23,000 m2 (247,570 sq ft) in the medium term.
The current domestic terminal was opened in 1976 and has been expanded several times since.[6] All airlines share the same check in and departure area towards the south-eastern end of the building. AQantas Club is located airside within the departures area, with provision for an expanded lounge for bothQantas andVirgin Australia in the master plan. The arrivals hall for all airlines is located at the north-western end of the building and contains two baggage carousels. The easternmost of the baggage carousels can be secured for use by international arrivals.[6] The domestic apron has six parking bays fornarrow-body (Boeing 737/Airbus A320-sized) aircraft, with three additional parking bays located toward the northern end of the domestic apron.
The international terminal was opened in 1983 to facilitateTrans-Tasman air traffic, although, international flights began at the airport in December 1980 withAnsett andTAA offering services to New Zealand.[6][10] In 1985 the terminal was upgraded, along with the runway, to provide limited 747 operations.[6][10] Between 1998 and 2020, no regular international flights serviced the airport[16] afterAir New Zealand suspended their operations fromChristchurch.[26] Direct international flights recommenced in April, 2021 with Air New Zealand to Auckland operating twice weekly in winter and thrice weekly over summer. The terminal is also used bySkytraders for flights to Antarctica and occasionalcharter airline flights.[6][27] The terminal's apron has a single wide-body parking bay overlapping two narrow-body bays. This bay is able to accommodate large wide-body aircraft up to and includingBoeing 747-400 and777–200.[6] The international terminal's apron is used primarily for domestic operations and Skytraders' seasonal Antarctic flights as well as the Air New Zealand flights to Auckland.[6]
There are two domestic freight areas operating at the airport, catering forQantas,Toll Air andVirgin Australia.[6] The facility includes two buildings on a total area of approximately 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft), including the freight apron area. Qantas uses dedicated jet freight aircraft.[6] In January 2007, Virgin Blue and Toll Air opened a 1,000 m2 (10,764 sq ft) dedicated freight facility to the north of the international terminal. This new freight area has no dedicated apron of its own, but rather makes use of the cargo holds of the passenger aircraft already serving the airport.[6]
The majority of Hobart'sgeneral aviation traffic makes use of the nearbyCambridge Aerodrome, which was sold in 1992 on the condition that it remain an airport until 2004.[6] Since that date, Hobart Airport has made plans for a large expansion catering for general aviation should the owners of Cambridge Aerodrome decide to use the land for other purposes.[6] This expansion would include a new runway and a general aviation apron located south of the existing Domestic Terminal.[6]
Hobart Airport has one runway, 12/30, which is aligned north–west to south–east and is 2,727 by 45 m (8,947 by 148 ft).[6] The runway was extended in 2017 by 500 metres comprising a 350-metre extension at the southern end, a 150-metre lengthening to the northern end, and the relocation of the approach lights. The high strength flexible runway is constructed with anasphaltic concrete surface[10] and is suitable for all Code E aircraft operations up to and includingBoeing 777/747 aircraft.[10] The current runway length is adequate for unrestricted operations on aBoeing 787-9 to China and Japan. The runway conforms to theCivil Aviation Safety Authority's standards.
In 2009, Hobart International Airport Pty Ltd announced detailed plans for the airport with a new 20-year master plan.[6][28] Currently aircraft have totaxi along the runway and proceed to the parking apron viataxiways in the middle of the runway.[6] This has both capacity and safety implications for the airport, as the runway cannot be used whilst an aircraft is taxiing.[6] The plans provide for a parallel taxiway to the full length of runway.[6] When complete, aircraft landing on the runway would proceed to the end of the runway and exit via the parallel taxiway. This would allow for greater utilisation of the existing runway.[6]
The airport purchased land from the Tasmanian Government in the southern part of the airport for future development of operational facilities.[16][10] This additional area would allow for a short runway for general aviation aircraft, either parallel to the main runway along the southern end of the eastern boundary of the airport, or a cross runway[16] towards the southern end of the main runway. The alternative second runway would provide an opportunity to improve the operational management of the lighter categories of aircraft. However, the second runway is not likely to be developed any time soon, because the existing runway is under-utilised.[10]
In December 2005, prominent Hobart developer Ali Sultan proposed afour star, 60-room hotel/motel for the airport.[29] The hotel, named the Quality Hotel Hobart Airport, was opened on 1 December 2008. The hotel comprises 78 rooms, a restaurant/café and a number of conference and meeting spaces.[30] The hotel employs 25 people.
Early in 2006, the airport announced plans to build aDirect Factory Outlet, covering an area of 18,000 m2 (190,000 sq ft),[31][32] which would have made it the largest of its kind in Australia. Austexx, a Melbourne-based company was the main investor in the $100 million project.[33]
While the Tasmanian Government supported the project, believing the Direct Factory Outlet would drive retail trade growth, theHobart City Council and a large amount of retail shop owners in theHobart central business district expressed fears of losing business.[33] Concern was also expressed about the big box being built on commonwealth land and therefore escaping the state planning laws.[33] In 2008, plans for the project were submitted to the Federal Government for assessment. Federal Transport MinisterWarren Truss gave approval on condition the outlet centre was cut by almost half to 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft),[31][34] prompting Austexx to walk away from the proposal.[31] In February 2008, Austexx' chief executive Geoff Porz confirmed the Direct Factory Outlet and Homemaker Hub project was back on,[35] however Austexx went intoreceivership in 2010,[36] and as of 2024 the site remains undeveloped.
In December 2018 Link Logistics International started a cold storage and warehousing facility at the Hobart Airport. The cool rooms have a height of eight metres, which is ideal for block stacking pallets. Since opening the cold storage, Link Logistics International Pty Ltd has provided temperature-controlled storage solutions for customers wanting short-term seasonal storage to long-term storage. Storage has been provided to the industry from various sectors, including seafood, viticulture, stone fruit, berries, vegetable processors, craft beer, poultry, wine, ice cream, and restaurateurs wanting a larger storage alternative.[37]
Qantas formerly operated dedicated 'flightseeing' services over Antarctica from Hobart. These flights, which used aBoeing 787 Dreamliner, departed Hobart from the international/domestic terminal, and provided a guided aerial tour of Antarctica before returning to Australia. These flights were about thirteen hours in total.[46]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Cathay Cargo | Seasonal charter:Hong Kong,[47]Melbourne,[citation needed]Sydney[citation needed] |
| Qantas Freight | Launceston,[citation needed]Melbourne[citation needed] |
| Pionair Australia | Seasonal charter:Sydney[citation needed] |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers (thousands) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 1,130,767 |  146.2% |
| 2 | Sydney | 649,771 | 153.3% |
| 3 | Brisbane | 291,200 | 13.1% |
| Year | Domestic | International | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 855,934 | 2,690 | 858,624 | 2.7% |
| 1999 | 877,992 | - | 877,992 | 2.3% |
| 2000 | 927,957 | - | 927,957 | 5.7% |
| 2001 | 996,179 | - | 996,179 | 7.4% |
| 2002 | 947,682 | - | 947,682 |  -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1,101,555 | - | 1,101,555 | 16.2% |
| 2004 | 1,380,849 | - | 1,380,849 | 25.4% |
| 2005 | 1,600,185 | - | 1,600,185 | 15.9% |
| 2006 | 1,617,810 | - | 1,617,810 | 1.1% |
| 2007 | 1,663,596 | - | 1,663,596 | 2.8% |
| 2008 | 1,830,870 | - | 1,830,870 | 10.1% |
| 2009 | 1,874,459 | - | 1,874,459 | 2.4% |
| 2010 | 1,882,092 | - | 1,882,092 | 0.4% |
| 2011 | 1,844,681 | - | 1,844,681 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 1,919,026 | - | 1,919,026 | 4.0% |
| 2013 | 2,091,706 | - | 2,091,706 | 9.0% |
| 2014 | 2,127,981 | - | 2,127,981 | 1.7% |
| 2015 | 2,238,432 | - | 2,238,432 | 5.2% |
| 2016 | 2,378,137 | - | 2,378,137 | 6.2% |
| 2017 | 2,510,343 | - | 2,510,343 | 5.6% |
| 2018 | 2,676,628 | - | 2,676,628 | 6.6% |
| 2019 | 2,781,739 | - | 2,781,739 | 3.9% |
| 2020 | 879,663 | - | 879,663 | -68.4% |
| 2021 | 1,261,289 | 4,480 | 1,265,769 | 43.9% |
| 2022 | 2,289,011 | 14,527 | 2,303,538 | 82.0% |
Hobart Airport has a car park that caters for short, medium and long term parking. There is also a well-servicedtaxi rank andlimousine service operating at the airport. There are numerouscar rental operators.
Public transport had not been a high use alternative to private transport for those travelling to and from the airport.[6] ASkyBus service was launched in June 2018,[50] which operates between theHobart central business district and the airport. The shuttle departs outside the terminal every 30 minutes transferring passengers to the city.[6]
Media related toHobart Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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