Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Launceston Airport (YMLT) serves the city of Launceston in northern Tasmania from the industrial suburb of Western Junction, some 15 kilometres from the city centre. It is Tasmania's second-busiest airport, with a long sealed and lit main runway equipped with ILS alongside two grass strips, making it a useful and historically rich destination for both airline traffic and general aviation pilots flying VFR around northern Tasmania.
Launceston Airport lies at Western Junction on the outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania, and is operated by Australia Pacific Airports Corporation in partnership with Launceston City Council. It began life as a grass aerodrome in the late 1920s and has grown into a regional hub handling jet airline services alongside general aviation and charter operations, giving a sim pilot the chance to fly into a field that combines a substantial hard runway with genuine grass-strip history.
The airport sits in the industrial area of Western Junction, about 15 kilometres from Launceston city centre, in northern Tasmania. Melbourne Centre provides area control services in the vicinity, and the field has its own control tower and ATIS, indicating it operates as a controlled aerodrome for arriving and departing traffic.
The main runway, 14R/32L, is 6,494 feet long, has a hard surface, is lit, and is equipped with an ILS on the 32L approach. Two grass runways provide shorter alternatives: 14L/32R at 2,693 feet, and 18/36 at 2,458 feet, both unlit grass strips.
The field broadcasts ATIS on 112.6 MHz. The common traffic advisory frequency is 118.7 MHz, which also serves as the tower frequency, while flight service is available on 126.5 MHz. The 32L approach is supported by an ILS, giving instrument-equipped aircraft a precision approach into the main runway.
Aviation at the site dates back to the formation of the Tasmanian Aero Club in 1927, after which the first air travel facility in Tasmania was built here. In July 1929 the Home Territories Department acquired land at Western Junction, then known as the Valley of Springs, for a 20,400-pound aerodrome, and the Western Junction Aerodrome officially opened in 1929, becoming operational in 1930. From August 1940 until late 1944 the Royal Australian Air Force used the airport as the base for No. 7 Elementary Flying Training School, making it Tasmania's only RAAF base; two Bellman hangars from this period still stand on the southern freight and general aviation area. In 1962, under the leadership of Tony John, the airport underwent major redevelopment including pavement strengthening, a runway extension and a new two-storey terminal, reopening that year under the name Launceston Airport. The runway was further upgraded in October 1982 to accommodate Boeing 767 operations. The airport was privatised in 1998 and is now jointly owned by Launceston City Council and Australia Pacific Airports Corporation. The collapse of Ansett Australia in 2001 and the arrival of low-cost carriers such as Virgin Blue and Jetstar reshaped traffic patterns in the years that followed.
Launceston Airport today handles a substantial mix of airline and general aviation traffic. Jetstar, QantasLink and Virgin Australia operate multiple daily services to mainland cities including Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, while Sharp Airlines flies to Flinders Island and King Island and Par Avion operates services to Cape Barren Island as well as light aircraft charter. The airport has an active general aviation presence and continues to undergo terminal and infrastructure redevelopment, though this primarily affects landside facilities rather than flying operations.