| Cootamundra Airport | |
| Iata: | CMD |
| Icao: | YCTM |
| Type: | Public |
| Operator: | Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council |
| Location: | Cootamundra, New South Wales |
| Elevation-F: | 1,110 |
| Coordinates: | -34.625°N 148.035°W |
| Pushpin Map: | New South Wales |
| Pushpin Label: | YCTM |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in New South Wales |
| Metric-Rwy: | Y |
| R1-Number: | 16/34 |
| R1-Length-M: | 1,406 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 10/28 |
| R2-Length-M: | 855 |
| R2-Surface: | Grass |
| Footnotes: | Sources: AIP |
Cootamundra Airport is a small airport in Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is also the venue for the annual GTR Challenge and Drag Battle motorsport event.[1]
With the implementation of an airmail service between Australia and Britain, owing to its location on the Main Southern railway line midway between Sydney and Melbourne and proximity to Canberra, Cootamundra was chosen as the southern terminus.[2] The airfield became the initial base for Butler Air Transport, established as an airmail contractor in 1934 to operate a section of the route between Cootamundra and Charleville, providing connection to Qantas services between Brisbane and Darwin. The company relocated its base to Sydney in 1938 following the withdrawal of the airmail contract.[3]
From 1991 to 2002 Country Connection Airlines offered regional flights from Cootamundra to Sydney, as well as to many other regional locations such as West Wyalong, Cowra, Forbes and Young.
Cootamundra was chosen as a station for No. 1 Air Observers School and No. 2 Recruit Depot during World War II. Numbers 60 and 73 Squadrons also operated from the base. Following the cessation of hostilities the airfield reverted to civilian use.[4]