Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Canberra Airport (YSCB) is Australia's capital-city airport, situated in the Majura district on the eastern side of the city and shared with the Australian Defence Force's Fairbairn establishment. It is a major controlled aerodrome with a long primary runway, an ILS approach, and full ATC services, making it a significant destination for VFR and IFR simulator pilots flying into the ACT.
Canberra Airport is the principal airport serving Australia's capital, Canberra, and the nearby city of Queanbeyan in southeastern New South Wales. It lies in the district of Majura, about 8 km from the city centre, and is operated by Canberra Airport Group Pty Ltd. As the only public general aviation facility within the Australian Capital Territory, it combines scheduled airline operations with general aviation and a co-located defence facility, Defence Establishment Fairbairn, home to No. 34 Squadron RAAF, which supports VIP and visiting head-of-state flights. For a simulator pilot, the field offers a mix of airline traffic, military movements and GA activity within controlled airspace, along with an ILS approach to one of its two runway pairs.
Canberra Airport sits within controlled airspace around Australia's capital, in the Majura district on the eastern side of the city, close to the border with New South Wales and the town of Queanbeyan. The aerodrome is served by dedicated approach and departure sectors split east and west of runway 35, both worked by Melbourne Centre, reflecting its status as a busy terminal area beneath the wider Melbourne Flight Information Region.
Canberra has two physical runways. The main runway, 17/35, is a hard-surfaced, lit strip roughly 10,777 ft long, with an instrument landing system serving the runway 35 end. The secondary runway, 12/30, is also hard-surfaced and lit, at roughly 5,499 ft in length. Field elevation is 1,867 ft.
Canberra Tower operates on 118.7 MHz, which also serves as the common traffic advisory frequency outside tower hours. Ground and clearance delivery is on 121.7 MHz. Approach and departure control is split by runway 35: traffic east of the runway uses 124.5 MHz and traffic to the west uses 125.9 MHz, both associated with Melbourne Centre. The ATIS broadcasts on 127.45 MHz, and there is a co-located VOR/ATIS facility on 116.7 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 35.
Canberra is a controlled aerodrome and inbound and outbound traffic operates under air traffic control clearance via the tower and approach/departure frequencies listed above, with the appropriate east or west sector frequency selected relative to runway 35. Pilots should expect to receive the ATIS on 127.45 MHz before contacting ground or tower for clearance and joining instructions.
The airfield originated as an airstrip laid down in the 1920s, shortly after the site for the National Capital was chosen. The Royal Australian Air Force took over the field in 1939, retaining an area for civil use. On 13 August 1940, a RAAF Lockheed Hudson flying from Melbourne crashed into a hill east of the airport in what became known as the Canberra air disaster, killing all ten aboard, including the Chief of the General Staff, three Federal Government ministers and the Minister for Air and Civil Aviation, James Fairbairn, after whom the adjoining Fairbairn airbase was later named. The military side of the airport was renamed RAAF Base Fairbairn in 1962. Civil terminal facilities were upgraded in 1988, and by 1994 Canberra was the seventh-busiest airport in Australia. The Commonwealth leased the airport to Canberra International Airport Pty Ltd in May 1998 for 99 years, sub-leasing the RAAF area back to the Department of Defence; the base was decommissioned in 2003, though No. 34 Squadron RAAF remains based there as Defence Establishment Fairbairn. The airport's first international flight, a Qantas charter to New Zealand for the ACT Brumbies, operated in May 1997. Air Pacific began twice-weekly Nadi services in July 2004, and the main runway was upgraded in 2006 to accommodate heavier aircraft and enable direct flights for visiting dignitaries and heads of state. A major terminal redevelopment, including demolition of the old terminal, was completed in 2013.
Canberra Airport remains the only public general aviation facility in the Australian Capital Territory, alongside its role as an international and domestic airline gateway offering services to all Australian state capitals, numerous regional centres, and international destinations such as Nadi, Doha and Denpasar. Defence Establishment Fairbairn, on the eastern side of the main runway, continues to support No. 34 Squadron RAAF VIP transport operations and ground handling for visiting military aircraft and heads of state.