| Iata | MHU |
|---|---|
| Icao | YHOT |
| Owner | Grollo family |
| Operator | MHSC Transportation Services Pty Ltd |
| City-served | Mount Hotham |
| Location | Dinner Plain, Victoria, Australia |
| Elevation-f | 4,260 |
| Coordinates | 37°02′51″S 147°20′03″E |
| Metric-rwy | Y |
| R1-number | 11/29 |
| R1-length-m | 1,460 |
| R1-surface | Asphalt |
Mount Hotham Airport is a small Australian regional airport, which serves the Victorian ski resort of Mount Hotham. It is Australia's highest-altitude airport.
History
Developed by BCR Asset Management, construction of Mount Hotham Airport began in late 1998. The airport opened on 12 June 1999 with a 700-metre runway.[1] It was officially opened by Premier Steve Bracks on 10 June 2000 by which time the runway had been extended to 1,460 metres.[2][3]
During the 2000 ski season, Eastern Australia Airlines and Southern Australia Airlines operated flights from Sydney and Melbourne respectively with Dash 8s[4] During the 2001 season Eastern Australia, Southern Australia Airlines and Sunstate Airlines operated flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle.[5]
Until 2014, QantasLink operated flights from Sydney with Bombardier Q200s.[6][7][8] As at 2024, it is only used by charter operators.[9]
In January 2023, the airport was purchased by the Grollo family.[10]
Incidents
On 8 July 2005, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain charter plane crashed into terrain while attempting to make a landing at the airport, killing the pilot and two passengers. Fragments of the aircraft were said to have dropped on the ground at the nearby sub-alpine community of Cobungra.[11]
References
- ^ Mount Hotham Australian Aviation issue 152 July 1999 page 22
- ^ Airport heats up Mt Hotham Australian Financial Review 9 June 2000
- ^ Mt Hotham Airport set to shine this winter Australian Aviation issue 174 July 2001 page 58
- ^ Qantas to the snow Australian Aviation issue 159 March 2000 page 16
- ^ Mount Hotham Australian Aviation issue 172 May 2001 page 20
- ^ Airline Briefs Australian Aviation issue 270 April 2010 page 17
- ^ QantasLink kicks off Mount Hotham snow season Qantas 28 June 2013
- ^ Qantas in fight for life after 5000 jobs axed nationwide News.com.au 27 February 2014
- ^ Hotham Airport Mount Hotham
- ^ $6m+ buyers of Mt Hotham Airport revealed Herald Sun 30 January 2023
- ^ Collision with terrain, Piper PA-31-350 VH-OAO at Mt Hotham Australian Transport Safety Board 24 August 2006