Darwin Airport Guide

The small Darwin International Airport is just as you would expect; the only international airport in the Northern Territory, and it is surprisingly busy: indeed, the tenth busiest airport in Australia.

Located just a short hop from Darwin's CBD, it is located in the northern suburbs, about 8 km (5 miles) from Darwin city centre, in the suburb of Eaton.

A curiosity is that it shares runways with the Royal Australian Air Force's RAAF Base Darwin, and interesting military aircraft can often be seen on the taxiways.

The terminal has a small number of food outlets and a shop.

A few years ago 2015, the terminal was doubled in size, with four new domestic and two new international boarding gates, additional security screening areas, a larger check-in area and a new multi-use baggage reclaim area for both domestic and international arrivals. The extended terminal also features Qantas and Virgin Australia airline lounges as well as Duty Free and other retail areas

Darwin Airport International

There is only one terminal which is used for both domestic and international services. The International section, when it is in use, has a small duty-free shop for international travellers, and the Catalina Lounge.

The International part of the Terminal is occasionally used as a stand in by Qantas on it's long haul hops to London from Sydney and Melbourne, when irregular operations mean these flights can not fly via Perth or Singapore as usual. These are the famous QF1 and QF2, and as such it can take aircraft like the A380 and 787.

Darwin Airport Business Class lounges

Darwin Airport transport

Darwin Airport shuttle bus services

Instead, if you really want to take the local domestic bus, it's a hot ten minute walk to the public bus stop located on Charles Eaton Drive.

The Northern Territory Government has details on how to catch a bus to Darwin Airport

Darwin Airport taxi services

Taxis queue from the taxi rank which is located directly in front of the Terminal, however when the Sydney flight lands, many people rush for a taxi: if you are waiting for a bag, you may then also have to wait for a taxi to come back to you.

All Taxis - even the Last Taxi to Darwin - use the meter. It'll cost around $30.00 for a Taxi from Darwin Airport to Darwin's CBD.

Note that there is also a $4.00 exit when you leave the airport.

Car Hire at Darwin Airport

Darwin Airport Hotel

There is just two airport hotels right next to Darwin airport.

The Novotel Darwin Airport is a very short, maybe 5 minutes walk, from the Airport terminal. And indeed, it is right next to, and sort of part of, the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort.

The Loong Fong Restaurant specialises in Chinese Seafood cuisine, and the bar is right next to the Pool.

The Mercure has Cossies Poolside Bar and Bistro: you can actually walk between the two without problems, and it's only a 0.5km walk to the terminal to access the facilities there.

Darwin Airport Bars and Restaurants

Hector's Bar

Hector's Bar at Darwin Airport is the main airside facility and drinking hole.

Dome Bar

Surprisingly, there is a small outlet of the Dome Bar at Darwin Airport. It is one of the nicest places to eat and drink in the terminal, and has a great airside view.

Darwin airport DRW: Darwin Airport Guide - Terminal map, airport guide, lounges, bars, restaurants & reviews with images Airport review with maps by loungeindex
Loungeindex rating: 6 out of 10
Darwin Airport Code: DRW
ICAO Code:	YPDN	Timezone:	UTC+9:30 (DST+11:30)
Elevation:	103 ft (31 m)	Runways:	2
Latitude:	-12.415	Longitude:	130.877