Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (Cocos Islands Malay: Lapangan Terbang Pulu Koko (Keeling)) (IATA: CCK, ICAO: YPCC) 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.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport Lapangan Terbang Pulu Kokos (Cocos Islands Malay)
Aerial view in the direction of Runway 33
IATA: CCK ICAO: YPCC
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Toll Remote Logistics
Location	West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Elevation AMSL	10 ft / 3 m
Coordinates	12°11′19″S 096°49′50″E
Website	cocosislandairport.com.au
Map
CCK Show map of Cocos (Keeling) Islands CCK Show map of Southeast Asia CCK Show map of Indian Ocean
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 2,441 8,009 Asphalt
Statistics (2010/11[a 1])
Passengers 15,712 Aircraft movements 303
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1] Passenger and aircraft movements from the BITRE[2]

Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Airbus A320 taxiing at Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (2017)

History

British Liberator taking off to bomb Japanese airfields in Sumatra

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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5][6]

Facilities

The airport has one runway, designated 15/33, with an asphalt surface measuring 2,441 m × 45 m (8,009 ft × 148 ft) and an elevation of 10 ft (3 m) above sea level.^[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines	Christmas Island, Perth

Statistics

Cocos Island Airport served 14,896 revenue passengers during financial year 2017–2018.^{[a 1][2]}

Annual passenger and aircraft statistics for Cocos Island Airport^[2]

Year[a 1]	Revenue passengers	Aircraft movements
2001–02	4,740	218
2002–03	4,328	212
2003–04	4,976	218
2004–05	5,631	226
2005–06	5,632	224
2006–07	6,501	232
2007–08	6,510	320
2008–09	5,611	238
2009–10	9,129	302
2010–11	15,712	303
2011–12	7,957	277
2012–13	14,478	454
2013–14	8,664	398
2014–15	11,323	360
2015–16	17,659	308
2016–17	16,387	345
2017–18	14,896	260

See also

• List of airports in territories of Australia
• Aviation transport in Australia