The overview of Perth's Guildford Airport above was taken in September 1980. In the foreground is the airport's second Control Tower and Airport Fire Station. This building is shown in more detail below - click on it in the image above or below to read more history.

Behind is the airport's combined international and domestic passenger terminal, with a Cathay Pacific Lockheed L-1011 TriStar on the apron. This terminal opened for international operations in 1953 (the airport itself having opened the year before) and the domestic operators moved from their individual hangar-terminals in 1962. Today (c.2010) this is the site of a much-expanded domestic terminal, international operations having moved to the eastern side of the airport in 1986.

Further around to the right is a MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) Fokker F.28 Fellowship. The hangars to the left of the main apron were occupied by MMA. The apron beyond the MMA F.28 was for general aviation.

The Tower/Fire Station was initially in an ideal location on the western side of the aerodrome between the main apron and the main north-south Runway 02/20 (see the 1974 airport diagram below - the airport layout had hardly changed since the early 1970s). However, the location of the TriStar provides a clear indication of the problematic positioning of the Tower once larger aircraft became regular visitors as very large aircraft (e.g. Boeing 747) did not have enough room to taxy between the Tower/Fire Station complex and the terminal when another large aircraft was parked on the main apron.

(Photos: Geoff Goodall / Aerodrome diagram: CAHS collection)

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