Essendon Airport
| Essendon Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | YMEN | ||
| IATA code | MEB | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 86 m (282 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 13 km north of Melbourne, 7 km southeast of Melbourne Airport |
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| Basic data | |||
| operator | Essendon Airport Pty. Ltd. | ||
| surface | 305 hectares | ||
| Flight movements |
60,000+ (2006) | ||
| Runways | |||
| 08/26 | 1921 m × 45 m asphalt | ||
| 17/35 | 1503 m × 45 m asphalt | ||
The Essendon Airport (engl. Essendon Airport , IATA code : MEB , ICAO code : Ymen ) is a regional airport in Melbourne's northern district of Essendon . It is located just a few miles from Melbourne International Airport on the Tullamarine Freeway .
history
The airport was officially designated as the Essendon Aerodrome by the government in 1921 after the site had previously been used by a flying club for some time.
In 1946 the grass runway was concreted and the airport officially became Melbourne's first and Australia's second international airport in February 1950. Due to the dense development, no further expansion was possible in the 1950s and the runway was too short for aircraft types such as the Boeing 707 . For this reason, the decision was made in 1959 to build a new airport a few kilometers away, which in 1967 handled the first cargo flights and from 1970 also passenger flights. In 1971 almost all scheduled airlines had moved to the new airport.
Current users are, in addition to a few small airlines, which primarily offer flights for mining companies, in charter traffic as well as for business and private airlines, the Victorian Air Ambulance , the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and the Victoria Police Air Wing .
In 2007 a new master plan for redesigning the airport to meet future requirements with the aim of securing and increasing the volume of traffic in the long term was published and is to be implemented over the next few years. This master plan led to the formation of groups of residents who advocate closure or expansion.
Incidents
Since the airport was no longer the main airport of Melbourne from 1970, there have been several accidents within a 2 km radius of the airport during take-off and landing. Local residents, organized in the "Close Essendon Airport" initiative, criticize the fact that there are only a few hundred meters long safety zones at both ends of the runway, instead of one with a length of 1 to 2 km. Neil Hansford, flight advisor at Strategic Aviation Solutions International, advises more safety distance, because buildings are up to 100 m close to the runways.
- On July 10, 1978, a twin-engine Partenavia P.68B of Speedair ( aircraft registration VH-PNW ) crashed into a house on a training flight shortly after take-off. Six people were killed on the ground and the three on board were seriously injured.
- On the morning of February 21, 2017, a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air charter plane operated by Corporate and Leisure Aviation (registration number VH-ZCR ) crashed into a nearby shopping center that was closed at that time shortly after take-off at around 9:00 a.m. local time. The plane came to rest on the parking lot, burning. The five occupants of the plane, including 4 US citizens, died. It was the worst civil aviation accident in the state of Victoria in 30 years.
Web links
- Airport data on World Aero Data ( 2006 )
- Airport data in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
- Essendon Airport website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Questions raised about safety of suburban airports after plane crash kills five abc.net.au, February 21, 2017, accessed February 21, 2017, 10:50 UTC. - Video (6:12) - Neil Hansford at 4:08.
- ↑ accident report Partenavia P.68B VH PNW , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on May 15, 2017th
- ^ Accident report King Air B200 VH-ZCR , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on May 15, 2017.
- ↑ Airplane crash in shopping center: Engine probably failed orf.at, February 21, 2017, accessed February 21, 2017.
- ↑ Essendon crash: Five killed as plane plunges into shopping center near Melbourne's Essendon Airport Updated 35 minutes ago abc.net.au, February 21, 2017, accessed February 21, 2017 at 10:40 UTC.