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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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List Of Airports In Christmas Island

Christmas Island International Airport (IATA: XCH, ICAO: YPXM) is an airport located on Christmas Island, a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. The island is located 2,600 km (1,600 mi) northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, 500 km (310 mi) south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and 975 km (606 mi) east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Located in an Australian territory, the airport is classified as a Category 2 international airport for all arrivals, including those from Australia. It is owned by the Commonwealth through the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and is operated under contract by Toll Remote Logistics.

History

Map of Christmas Island showing location of airfield

From the late 1940s, when the island was still a British colony administered by Singapore and the Straits Settlements Administration, it was serviced occasionally by Royal Air Force (RAF) Short Sunderland flying boats before the construction of the airport in 1974. The First commercial jet service from Perth, a TAA Boeing 727, arrived on 6 June 1974. Under Australia’s two-airline policy, Ansett Airlines of Australia joined TAA on the route, providing the only direct air links with Australia. In 2024, Australia Post released a series of commemorative stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight.

Tampa affair

A brief revival of activity at the airport occurred in 2001 during the Tampa affair when the heightened Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) traffic was complemented by a large number of Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and media charters. During this incident, traffic at the airport is said to have been "near-continuous".

Satellite launch facility

After the closure of the casino, the resort was taken over by the Asia Pacific Space Centre, which developed plans for a satellite launch facility on Christmas Island. The company, with solid financial participation from the Australian Government, had planned to start satellite launches in 2004. Technical staff was to include 350–400 Russian rocket scientists and engineers, and componentry was to be flown in on Antonov An-124 and Boeing 747 freighters. To achieve this, the airport would need major extensions, and the Government allocated around A$55m to the task. This included a 600 m (1,969 ft) runway extension, plus additional taxiways, apron space, and other infrastructure.

Facilities

Runway

The airport resides at an elevation of 916 ft (279 m) above sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,103 m × 45 m (6,900 ft × 148 ft). and a 2.3% mid-runway gradient.

Terminal

As the Indian Ocean Territories Islands are duty-free, the airport terminal has a Duty-free shop and licensed kiosk. In 2018 the airport operator, Toll Remote Logistics, introduced complimentary public Wi-Fi. This was the first time Wi-Fi had been offered for free at the airport on an island that only has a 2G mobile network.

Airlines and destinations

A Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Airbus A320 takes off at Christmas Island Airport (2016)
The Virgin Australia crew boarding an Airbus A320 at Christmas Island Airport
AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Malaysia Charter: Kuala Lumpur–International
Toll Global Express Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Perth
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Perth

Traffic to and from the airport varies greatly. Along with regular flights to the Australian mainland, the airport receives weekly open charter flights from Jakarta with Garuda Indonesia and fortnightly open charter flights from Kuala Lumpur with Batik Air Malaysia. Historically airlines such as Indonesia AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and SilkAir travelled to the island. Tourist attractions such as the migration of the Christmas Island red crab and the island's Christmas Island Resort have caused spikes in traffic levels. The construction of an immigration detention centre on the island resulted in a temporary increase in RAAF and DIMIA arrivals.

Statistics

Christmas Island International Airport served 26,723 revenue passengers during financial year 2017–2018.

Annual passenger traffic at XCH airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual passenger and aircraft statistics for Christmas Airport
Year Revenue passengers Aircraft movements
2001–02
6,515
229
2002–03
8,778
303
2003–04
7,504
249
2004–05
8,125
255
2005–06
8,093
256
2006–07
8,072
262
2007–08
8,594
412
2008–09
6,665
246
2009–10
14,287
395
2010–11
27,286
428
2011–12
37,305
623
2012–13
65,383
1,008
2013–14
60,099
818
2014–15
31,499
396
2015–16
25,533
285
2016–17
25,615
318
2017–18
26,723
347

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ YPXM – Christmas Island (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 13 June 2024, Aeronautical Chart Archived 11 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  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"
  3. ^ Proposed Common Use Infrastructure on Christmas Island. Submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works. Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services. April 2002. p. 3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ "Christmas Island Airport – 50 Years". Australia Post Collectables. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Malindo Air files Christmas Island charter schedule from Dec 2016". Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. ^ Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June

Further reading

  • McGrath, Tony (2019). In Tropical Skies: A History of Aviation to Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Carlisle, WA: Hesperian Press. ISBN 9780859057561.