Essendon Airport (Melbourne’s first airport) was planned in 1921 in an era when aviation was a pioneering activity and well before people considered the possibility that aircraft would be capable of flying across the globe. As early as 1950 it was recognised that Melbourne would require a second airport (with very long high strength runways) to meet the future aviation needs of the city. While an airport with significantly longer runways was required for international aircraft it was concurrently recognised that mixing large passenger aircraft working to an exact timetable of departures and arrivals with specialised aviation (such as the air ambulance) would result in frequent conflicts between the aviation groups and result in poor service to Melbourne and Victoria. A decision was therefore made to retain Essendon Airport to ensure that specialist aviation services and large domestic and international passenger aircraft could work unimpeded and provide the quality of aviation services Victorians enjoy today. Essendon Airport is currently the home base for the Victorian Government’s Police and Ambulance Airwings, Royal Flying Doctors Service, regional freight aircraft, small regional passenger aircraft, and specialist aircraft catering for the corporate market. |