Airport type Public 05/23 1,738 Code ARM | Elevation AMSL 3,556 ft / 1,084 m 1,738 5,702 Phone +61 2 6770 3600 | |
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Operator Armidale Dumaresq Shire Serves Armidale, New South Wales, Australia Address New England Hwy, Armidale NSW 2350, Australia Similar Budget Car and Truck Rental Ar, Hertz, Thrifty, Armidale Station, Avis Armidale Airport C | ||
Armidale airport metroliner and dash 8 landing
Armidale Airport (IATA: ARM, ICAO: YARM) is an airport serving Armidale, a city in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) southwest of the town centre, on the New England Highway. The airport is operated by the Armidale Dumaresq Shire Council.
Contents
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevation of 3,556 ft (1,084 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 05/23 with an asphalt surface measuring 1,738 m × 30 m (5,702 ft × 98 ft) and 09/27 with a grassed gravel surface measuring 1,116 m × 30 m (3,661 ft × 98 ft).
Previous airlines
East-West Airlines operated from Sydney and Brisbane to Armidale from 1949 until 1988 when the routes were taken over by Eastern Australia Airlines (then a subsidiary of Australian Airlines, now a subsidiary of Qantas).
Hazelton Airlines, an affiliate of Ansett Australia, operated between Sydney and Armidale from 1989 until the company collapsed in 2002.
Impulse Airlines operated services to Sydney and Brisbane from 1994 until it was taken over by Qantas in 2001.
A Tamworth–Armidale–Brisbane route was served by QantasLink until 2002, when the service was taken over by MacAir Airlines until January 2003, after which time it was operated by Sunshine Express Airlines before the company ceased scheduled flying in 2006. Brindabella Airlines commenced Armidale-Brisbane flights in August 2011 using Metro III turboprop aircraft, however this service was discontinued in June 2012. The decision to withdraw from Armidale and Albury made national headlines as it was widely reported the airline's reasons included an expected increase in operating costs due to the implementation of the controversial Carbon pricing scheme by the Gillard Government set to become effective the following month.
Airport upgrade
The Armidale Dumaresq Shire Council has a number of upgrades to the airport currently in progress, with much of the funding for the works promised by Member for New England Barnaby Joyce during the 2013 Australian federal election campaign. Previously the council had unsuccessfully submitted a proposal to the Regional Development Australia Fund in 2012 for $2.45 million in funding to allow upgrades to the airport terminal, security screening and apron areas, as well as resurfacing the runway, construction of a parallel taxiway and upgrading the airport's lighting. When complete the works will increase capacity, allowing the airport to handle 70 seat aircraft such as the Bombardier Q400 operated by QantasLink and potentially attract new airlines such as Virgin Australia, operating ATR 72 type aircraft through its regional subsidiaries.
Statistics
Armidale Airport was ranked 45th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2012-2013.