Mount Isa Airport

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
IATA: ISA ICAO: YBMA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Mount Isa Airport Pty Ltd
Operator	Queensland Airports
Serves	Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
Elevation AMSL	1,121 ft / 342 m
Coordinates	20°39′50″S 139°29′19″E
Website	www.mountisaairport.com.au
Map
YBMA Location in Queensland
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 16/34 2,560 8,399 Asphalt
Statistics (2010-2011[1])
Revenue passengers 217,525 Aircraft movements 5,376
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, 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

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

Airlines	Destinations
Alliance Airlines	Charter: Brisbane
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

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

Main article: Ansett-ANA Flight 149

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.^[9] It remains the fifth-worst accident in Australia's civil aviation history.^[10]

See also

• List of airports in Queensland