Adelaide International Airport

I couldn't believe it, waiting around the departure lounge of Adelaide Domestic Airport I wanted to go and have a look at the international departure area. Upon our arrival in Adelaide we viewed the international departures already, there was a 22:30 flight to Dubai, our arrival at 22:05 was the last arrival for the night and the terminal was all but closed.

When we headed back to the airport after a week in Adelaide, I had expected the airport to be busier, I was terrible mistaken. At 2:00 in the afternoon, the international departures room was closed, lights off and barricades erected preventing entry. I thought how unusual, how many international flights a day does Adelaide have?

Due to its central location on the southern coast of Australia the real value of the airport is domestic travel I guess. I began some online research of international departures and arrivals at Adelaide finding there was generally one arrival and two departures daily.

The three major east coast cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane service the major routes to the east and north of the country from South America, the United States and destinations such as Hong Kong. Perth on the west coast is ideal for flying to both southern Africa, Asia and Europe.

No one is flying any further south than Adelaide, of course Hobart is further south than Adelaide as the island is located south of Victoria so a short flight to Melbourne pretty much opens up the world for Tasmanian locals. Adelaide is pretty much a regional hub these days and with longer range aircraft already being built and many more planned, Adelaide Airport looks like further slipping into obscurity.