Rockhampton Airport is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Rockhampton, with flights to the cites of Brisbane, Gladstone, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay.In 2011, the airport handled 701,062 passengers and 12,606 aircraft movements, a drop from the 2010 figure of 777,212 passengers and 14,602 aircraft. The drop is attributed in part to the airport being closed for three weeks in January due to the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.HistoryEfforts to locate a permanent aerodrome site in the city had been proceeding for a number of years in the 1920s. The City Council and the Federal Government, however, could not come to an arrangement as to a suitable site. Prior to 1930, a number of locations within the city had been used for the operation of aircraft, all on a non official basis and none suitable for long term use.In 1929, the lease to a former racecourse, Connor Park, was acquired by a number of aspiring aviators, and they set about making it suitable for aircraft. The Rockhampton Aero Club was formed on 9 February 1930, and announced that flying training would commence at the location. The aerodrome was officially opened as Connor Park Aerodrome on 2 March 1930. A few weeks later, the aerodrome was again officially opened as Rockhampton Aerodrome, and the first passenger aircraft, a Fokker monoplane, Star of Cairns, landed.During World War II, facilities at the airport were substantially upgraded. The Commonwealth took over control of the airport, and the Royal Australian Air Force moved in. An Aeradio station was established to enable air ground communication, a facility that survived as a Flight Service Unit until 1992. Control Tower facilities were also established. At one stage, work was commenced to allow rapid demolition of the runways if required. In 1987 during upgrade work, the demolition tunnels were located and filled in. In February 1989, the Rockhampton City Council was vested with ownership of the airport.
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