March of progress

In that same year, the Northern Territory welcomed the spectacle of the London to Darwin air race – an incredible event at the time that provided a glimpse into the role aviation would play in connecting some of the most remote parts of our nation.

Only nine years later, Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm would land in Brisbane after completing the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States.

This year, the connections between Brisbane and the United States are becoming ever stronger, with new direct services to San Francisco and Chicago announced in June.

And while that first flight in the Southern Cross carried a crew of four people, the new services announced in Brisbane will increase capacity by 641,000 two-way seats per year.

It is, perhaps, this contrast that shows the scale of the opportunity those pioneering pilots were unearthing when they first took to the skies.

There have been many milestones that have shaped our aviation industry along the way.

The launch of the ‘jumbo jet’ in 1970 made international travel a new reality for many Australians, but also changed the scale and complexity of the industry.

More than 20 years later, the privatisation of Australia’s major airports unlocked a period of significant investment and growth.

As new airlines and routes were welcomed to Australia, our airports expanded their services and facilities for airlines and passengers.

When the next big development in aircraft technology arrived in the form of the A380, Australian airports were ready to accommodate them, making sure their airfield infrastructure met the needs of these new, bigger aircraft.

Today, Sydney Airport is welcoming 44 million passengers a year, after beginning with that single flight just 100 years ago.

Melbourne Airport continues to grow as it supports a burgeoning city and state, while Brisbane Airport is increasing its connections across the Pacific and into Asia as its soon-to-be-completed new runway creates new opportunities.

In the west, Perth Airport is facilitating direct services to London, while Adelaide Airport is expanding its terminal to cater for growing international demand.

These are just some of the stories of the short but vibrant history of our airport industry.

And like our aviation pioneers, our airports continue to forge innovation and technology to keep driving Australia’s growth and prosperity.

‘Just some of the stories of the short but vibrant history of our airport industry’