Christmas Island Airport

Christmas Island International Airport is an airport located on Christmas Island, a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. The island is located 2600km northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, 500km south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and 975km east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.Although located on Australian territory, the airport is classified as a Category 2 international airport for all arrivals, including those from Australia. It is owned by the Commonwealth through the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and is operated under contract by Toll Remote Logistics.HistoryFrom the late 1940s, when the island was still a British colony administered by Singapore and the Straits Settlements Administration, it was serviced occasionally by Royal Air Force (RAF) Short Sunderland flying boats before the construction of the airport.Tampa crisisA brief revival of the "old days" happened in 2001 during the Tampa crisis when the heightened Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) traffic was complemented by a large number of Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and media charters. During this incident, traffic at the airport is said to have been "near-continuous".