Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport Explained

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport
Iata:CCK
Icao:YPCC
Type:Public
Operator:Toll Remote Logistics
Location:West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Elevation-F:10
Coordinates:-12.1886°N 96.8306°W
Pushpin Map:Cocos (Keeling) Islands#Southeast Asia#Indian Ocean
Pushpin Label:CCK
Pushpin Mark:Airplane silhouette.svg
R1-Number:15/33
R1-Length-M:2,441
R1-Surface:Asphalt
Metric-Rwy:y
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:15,712
Stat-Year:2010/11
Footnotes:Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]
Passenger and aircraft movements from the BITRE
Stat2-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat2-Data:303

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (Lapangan Terbang Pulu Koko (Keeling)) is an airport serving the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean. The airport is on West Island, one of the South Keeling Islands and capital of the territory.

History

The airfield was built during World War II to support Allied aircraft in the war against Japan. Two airstrips were built, and three bomber squadrons were moved to the islands to conduct raids against Japanese targets in Southeast Asia and to provide support during the planned re-invasion of Malaya and reconquest of Singapore. The first aircraft to arrive were Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIs of No. 136 Squadron RAF.[2] They included some B-24 Liberator bombers from No. 321 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF (members of exiled Dutch forces serving with the Royal Air Force), which were also stationed on the islands.

South African Airways aircraft operated between Johannesburg and Perth refuelled at this airport en-route before 1970.

The 2016 Australian Defence White Paper stated that the airfield would be upgraded to support the RAAF's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.[3] Work was scheduled to begin in early 2023 and completed by 2026, though the costs of the upgrade had increased significantly. It is planned that the airfield will act as a forward operating base for Australian surveillance and electronic warfare aircraft in the region.[4] [5]

Facilities

The airport has one runway, designated 15/33, with an asphalt surface measuring 2441x and an elevation of 10feet above sea level.

Statistics

Cocos Island Airport served 14,896 revenue passengers during financial year 2017–2018.[6]

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. , Aeronautical Chart
  2. Web site: Fail. J.E.H.. FORWARD STRATEGIC AIR BASE COCOS ISLAND. rquirk.com. 13 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130207075824/http://www.rquirk.com/cocos/cocosart.htm. 7 February 2013. live.
  3. Web site: 2016 Defence White Paper (para. 4.66). defence.gov.au. 26 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160301003400/http://defence.gov.au/WhitePaper/Docs/2016-Defence-White-Paper.pdf. 1 March 2016. live.
  4. Web site: $384m cost blowout on ADF plan to upgrade airstrip, boost military presence on Cocos (Keeling) Islands . ABC . 19 August 2023. 15 January 2023 .
  5. Web site: Australian Defence's Forgotten Indian Ocean Territories . Griffith Asia Insights . 19 August 2023. 29 June 2023 . Layton . Peter .
  6. Web site: Airport Traffic Data 1985–86 to 2010–11 . Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE). May 2012. 27 June 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180211/https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/files/WebAirport_FY_1986-2011.xls. 24 March 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"