Perth Airport
Western Australia’s only international airport is found in the capital of Perth and is the fourth busiest in the country behind the likes of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. More than 12 million passengers stop in Perth each year, mostly connecting to Asian destinations like Singapore, Denpasar, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. There are no direct flights to North America so Americans will have to pass through Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. Some of the largest airlines serving the airport are Qantas, Skywest Airlines and Virgin Australia.
Three terminals operate at the facility. Terminal 1 is the international building, running flights from overseas destinations like AirAsia, Qantas International, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines. Terminals 2 and 3 are for domestic carriers like Jetstar, Qantas, Tiger Airlines, Qantas Link, and Skywest Airlines. First Tax and Duty Free is available in Terminal 1 and several other shops can be found in the domestic terminals, including Australian Way and Beach Culture. Hudsons Coffee and Dome are coupled with a variety of restaurants like Red Rooster, Fresh Connections, Wots in the Wok, Mattress Blue Bar, and Eagle Boys Pizza.
There are no rail services directly to Perth Airport yet, although talks are currently underway between the airport and local Australian government. Taxis are available outside, but can be quite expensive when traveling beyond downtown Car rental can be found in all terminals, so this is usually the preferred for of transportation. Public bus number 37 of the Transperth system operates routes to the domestic terminals.
Karratha Airport
Due to Western Australia’s enormous landmass, there are several other airports throughout the state. Karratha is the second-busiest facility, opening the beautiful northwest coast to the public. Flights are operated by Airnorth, Alliance Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia and Skywest, connecting the town to Perth, Brisbane, Geraldton, Port Hedland, and Melbourne. Altogether, nearly 700,000 passengers use the facility each year, with more than 600,000 flying from Perth. Many of the passengers flying in Karratha are “fly-in, fly-out” workers with mining contracts in the surrounding area.
Broome Airport
The gateway to the Kimberleys, Broome is another important airport within the state of Western Australia. More than 320,000 passengers fly here each year from Perth. Altogether, some 450,000 people pass through the facility annually. There is only one small terminal operating at the airport, serving flights to Perth, Darwin, Melbourne, Kununurra, and Port Hedland. Broome’s airport is one of the most important gateways into the northwestern region, mostly serving tourists and miners.
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