Rose Bay Water Airport


Rose Bay Water Airport is a water airport located in the Sydney suburb of Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia. It is 8 kilometres from Sydney's central business district and is one of two water airports in Sydney, the other being Palm Beach Water Airport.

History

On 4 August 1938, Rose Bay Water Airport was officially opened. However, it already had been established as a flying boat base on a 'temporary basis', and was the starting point for the London-Sydney flights that were operated by Qantas Empire Airways and Imperial Airways in a codeshare agreement. This made it Australia's first international airport. In 1942, due to the outbreak of World War II, commercial flights were suspended. Due to the arrival of passenger jetliners in the 1950s, a gradual demise in flying boats began. In 1955, Qantas discontinued its flying boat service and sold its fleet of flying boats to Ansett Airways. Ansett continued to operate flying boat services from Rose Bay Water Airport to Lord Howe Island until that was discontinued in 1974, after the island's land airport was opened.

Facilities

has a single small terminal to serve customers, which is managed and maintained by Sydney Aviation, the owner of Sydney Seaplanes. Sydney by Seaplane and Seawing Airways are based in another building at Rose Bay.

Airlines and destinations

Sydney by Seaplane and Seawing Airways, which are both trading names of Krug Agencies Pty Ltd, operate return sight-seeing flights to Palm beach and elsewhere. Sydney Seaplanes operates a series of tour packages as well as scenic flights.