Darwin International Airport Is Your Gateway to the Northern Territory

Photo credit: Ken Hodge

Darwin is one of Australia’s most alluring capital cities. Its tropical climate, relaxed atmosphere, multicultural personality and picturesque location on the Timor Sea have made it a must-visit travel destination in the Northern Territory. It’s also home to one of the country’s most interesting airports — the Darwin International Airport (DRW).

The Darwin International Airport is the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It’s Darwin’s only airport, bringing tourists to and from the Northern Territory since the mid 1940s. Although, the area’s flight history dates back to 1919 when the famed England to Australia air race began.

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The Parap Airfield, which housed a military field as well as a civilian airport, was constructed to be the Australian terminal of the early 1900s air race. It frequently took hits from Japanese bombing through the Second World War, and was used by the Allies to project air power into the Pacific. The airport hosted Spitfires, Hudson Bombers, Kittyhawks, C-47s, B-24 Liberators, B-17 Fortresses and PBY Catalinas.

In 1945, following the Second World War, the Department of Aviation decided to open the existing Darwin military airfield to civilians. This resulted in the closing of the Parap Airfield, and all of that airport’s operations were combined with Darwin’s.

The Darwin International Airport served the Northern Territory as the main domestic and international airport from 1950 to 1974. It was a common stopover for flights traveling throughout Australia, Europe and Asia, until longer range aircraft were introduced in the ’70s.

In 1974, the historic Cyclone Tracy had a devastating affect on the city of Darwin, and the Darwin International Airport became the launching point to ferry more than 25,000 out of the city. The airport has since been used to aid UN operations in East Timor as well as medical evacuations from the Bali bombings in 2002.

Despite the airport and its home city’s trials and tribulations over the years, the DRW continues to be the most convenient way to reach the Northern Territory and for travelers to access other areas of Australia and Southeast Asia. Nearly 2 million passengers pass through Darwin International Airport every year, and new direct flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Manila by a number of major carriers are expected to boost the airport’s traffic even further.