Mount Isa Airport (IATA: ISA, ICAO: YBMA)[3] is an airport serving the western Queensland city of Mount Isa, Australia.[2] It is served by a variety of scheduled regional airlines, with flights to Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns as well as several other regional centres.

Mount Isa Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMount Isa Airport Pty Ltd
OperatorQueensland Airports Limited
ServesMount Isa, Queensland, Australia
Elevation AMSL1,121 ft / 342 m
Coordinates20°39′50″S 139°29′19″E / 20.66389°S 139.48861°E / -20.66389; 139.48861
Websitewww.mountisaairport.com.au
Map
YBMA is located in Queensland
YBMA
YBMA
Location in Queensland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 2,560 8,399 Asphalt
Statistics (2010-2011[1])
Revenue passengers217,525
Aircraft movements5,376
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[2] BITRE

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has one of its nine Queensland bases at Mount Isa Airport.[4]

Since 2005 the airport has been owned by Queensland Airports Limited, which also owns Townsville Airport, Longreach Airport and Gold Coast Airport.[5][6]

In the 2010–11 financial year,[1] Mount Isa Airport handled 217,525 passengers, a 25.1% increase over the previous year.[7]

In 2019, the airport was a base for relief efforts for the North West Queensland floods.[8]

Facilities edit

The airport resides at an elevation of 1,121 ft (342 m) above sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,560 m × 45 m (8,399 ft × 148 ft) and is 3.4 nautical miles (6.3 km; 3.9 mi) north of the city[2]

Airlines and destinations edit

AirlinesDestinations
Alliance Airlines Charter: Brisbane
Bonza Gold Coast[9]
Qantas Brisbane
QantasLink Brisbane, Cloncurry, Townsville
Rex Airlines Bedourie, Birdsville, Brisbane, Burketown, Boulia, Cairns, Charleville, Doomadgee, Gununa, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Karumba, Normanton, Quilpie, Richmond, Toowoomba, Townsville, Windorah
Virgin Australia Brisbane

Statistics edit

Mount Isa Airport was ranked 30th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2010–2011.[1][7]

Annual passenger and aircraft statistics for Mount Isa[7]
Year[1] Revenue passengers Aircraft movements
2001-02
89,433
3,548
2002-03
88,793(-0.7%)
3,736(+5.3%)
2003-04
99,205(+11.7%)
3,596(-3.7%)
2004-05
111,303(+12.2%)
3,541(-1.5%)
2005-06
132,475(+19.0%)
3,769(+6.4%)
2006-07
155,572(+17.4%)
4,185(+11.0%)
2007-08
186,679(+20.0%)
4,645(+11.0%)
2008-09
173,517(-7.1%)
3,467(-25.4%)
2009-10
173,813(+0.2%)
3,743(+8.0%)
2010-11
217,525(25.1%)
5,376(37.2%)

Accidents and incidents edit

On 22 September 1966 a Vickers Viscount aircraft departed from Mount Isa Airport with twenty passengers for a flight to Brisbane via Longreach. Forty-four minutes after takeoff a fire started in one of the engines. The crew were unable to extinguish the fire or feather the propeller so made an emergency descent with the intention of landing at Winton, a town 225 NM (417 km; 259 mi) south-east of Mount Isa. The fire spread to the fuel tank and weakened the wing structure so that a large part of the left wing broke away. The aircraft crashed 12 mi (19 km) west of Winton. All on board were killed.[10] It remains the fifth-worst accident in Australia's civil aviation history.[11]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June
  2. ^ a b c YBMA – Mount Isa (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 21 March 2024, Aeronautical Chart Archived 10 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Mount Isa Airport (ISA / YBMA)". Aviation Safety Network.
  4. ^ "RFDS QLD Home Page". Royal Flying Doctor Service. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Mount Isa Airport". Queensland Airports. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  6. ^ "About Mount Isa Airport". MountIsaAirport.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b c "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 8 May 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"
  8. ^ Barry, Derek. "RAAF unload jet fuel at Mount Isa for flood emergency". Collie Mail.
  9. ^ "Bonza heads to the Outback with new Mount Isa route". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  10. ^ Vickers Viscount No. 416 – Operational Record. Retrieved 2011-08-25
  11. ^ Ten Worst Aircraft Crashes in Australia Archived 19 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2011-08-25

External links edit