| RAAF Base Curtin | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Curtin Airport | |||||||
| Derby, Western Australia in Australia | |||||||
 <div style="position: absolute; top: Expression error: Missing operand for *.%; left: -661.8%; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> RAAF Base Curtin Location in Western Australia
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| Coordinates | 17°34′53″S 123°49′42″E / 17.58139°S 123.82833°ECoordinates: 17°34′53″S 123°49′42″E / 17.58139°S 123.82833°E | ||||||
| Type | Military airfield | ||||||
| Area | 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | Department of Defence | ||||||
| Operator |
 Royal Australian Air Force;Shire of Derby-West Kimberley | ||||||
| Website | RAAF Base Curtin | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1983 | ||||||
| In use | 11 June 1988 – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Occupants | 'Bare base' | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: DCN, ICAO: YCIN | ||||||
| Elevation | 91 metres (300 ft) AMSL | ||||||
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| Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1] | |||||||
RAAF Base Curtin, also sometimes RAAF Curtin[2] (IATA: DCN, ICAO: YCIN) is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base and civil airport located 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) southeast[1] of the town of Derby on the north coast of Western Australia in Australia As it is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases' no RAAF units are permanently based at Curtin and it is maintained by a small caretaker staff during peacetime. The base is named in honour of former Prime Minister John Curtin.
History[]
RAAF Curtin was the first new major military airfield to be built in Australia since World War II. Construction on the base began in 1983 and it was opened on 11 June 1988.[3] The 25,000-hectare (62,000-acre)[4] base was activated twice by the RAAF between 1988 and 2013.[3] It was activated again in 2016 as part of Exercise Northern Shield.[5]
From the late 1990s the base operated as Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre, an Australian Government immigration detention centre, which closed in September 2002.[6] However the centre was reopened in April 2010 to house around sixty Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers whose applications were suspended.[7]
In 2007 direct flights recommenced between Perth and Derby (RAAF Curtin) for the first time since Ansett Australia stopped the service in 1992. However, the flights ceased in February 2016.
In 2016 and 2017 the Australian Government announced that facilities at Curtin would receive a A$100 to A$200 million upgrade,[8] in addition to a range of other defence facilities in Western Australia.[9]
See also[]
- List of airports in Western Australia
- List of Royal Australian Air Force installations
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 YCIN – Curtin (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 29 May 2014, Aeronautical Chart
- ↑ "RAAF Curtin". Royal Australian Air Force. Australian Government. https://www.airforce.gov.au/RAAFBases/Western-Australia/RAAF-Curtin/?RAAF-dB8b8LlWyA6hAqJaWDC9XRqC6h09UQiw.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biggs, Gavin (18 July 2013). "RAAF Curtin Marks 25 Years". p. 15. http://airforcenews.realviewdigital.com/?iid=79304#folio=14. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ↑ "RAAF Base Curtin, Western Australia". Department of Defence. Australian Government. 1 October 2013. http://www.defence.gov.au/id/_Master/docs/NCRP/WA/0954RAAFBaseCurtinWA.pdf.
- ↑ Donnelly, Shaun (22 September 2016). "Curtin Lifted Thanks to 'Outstanding' Work". Air Force. Department of Defence. p. 12. http://airforcenews.realviewdigital.com/?iid=146540#folio=12. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ↑ "Curtin centre closes". The World Today. Radio National. 24 September 2002. http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s684669.htm. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
- ↑ "Curtin Air Base re-opened to hold asylum seekers". The Age. 18 April 2010. http://www.theage.com.au/national/curtin-air-base-reopened-to-hold-asylum-seekers-20100418-sm39.html.
- ↑ Turner, Rebecca (26 February 2016). "WA defence capabilities to get $4b upgrades under white paper plan". ABC News. Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-25/wa-defence-spend-set-to-rise/7201418.
- ↑ "Government invests heavily in Western Australia's future". Australian Government. 20 February 2017. https://www.pm.gov.au/media/2017-02-20/government-invests-heavily-western-australias-future.
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