Efforts to locate a permanent aerodrome site in the city had been proceeding for a number of years in the 1920s. The
Rockhampton City Council and the
Australian Government, however, could not come to an arrangement as to a suitable site. Prior to 1930, a number of locations within the city had been used for the operation of aircraft, all on a non-official basis and none suitable for long term use. In 1929, the lease to a former racecourse, Connor Park, was acquired by a number of aspiring aviators, and they set about making it suitable for aircraft. The Rockhampton Aero Club was formed on 9 February 1930, and announced that flying training would commence at the location. The Rockhampton Aero Club continues to operate today, providing flying training and air charter. The Rockhampton Aero Club flying field was officially opened on 2 March 1930 by Rockhampton mayor Robert Cousins. The club was formed just three weeks prior with the aim of providing assistance with issues relating to aviation, including lobbying for a permanent landing ground for aircraft flying into the city. It was only after the Rockhampton Aero Club had been established their flying field at Connor Park that Rockhampton City Council finally decided the same location would ideal for the city's aerodrome and contributed 100 pounds for land clearing. The presence of a meteorological office at Rockhampton Airport continued up until 2021 when it was announced it would soon be closed - a decision that has prompted much discussion. During
World War II, facilities at the airport were substantially upgraded. The size of the facility was doubled by the resumption and purchase of additional land. arriving at Connor Park Aerodrome, 1943 players at Connor Park, 1954 The opening of the Connor Park Aerodrome provided much easier access to Rockhampton not only for the general public but for many visiting dignitaries, prompting a steady stream of royalty, political leaders, sporting personalities, high-ranking military figures and well known aviators to visit the city. Those greeted at the Connor Park Aerodrome in its early years included Sir
Charles Kingsford Smith,
Eleanor Roosevelt,
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester,
Sir William McKell,
Richard Casey, Baron Casey,
Robert L. Eichelberger,
Queen Elizabeth II,
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the
Great Britain national rugby league team. Many other notable arrivals have landed at Rockhampton Airport, since including
Johnny Cash in 1981. After visiting the city in 1954, Prince Philip returned to Rockhampton Airport in 1973 when he landed at the controls of a
RAF Queen's Flight Andover on 9 October 1973. He was en route to New Zealand after a three-day camping tour near
Alice Springs. It had flown from Brisbane via Bundaberg and was on its way north to Mackay and Townsville. The first section of planes competing in the trial arrived at Connor Park on 2 August 1954, with the second section arriving on 7 August 1954. The arrival of the planes attracted a considerable amount of sightseers to the airport, although fog delayed the arrival of the second section of competing aircraft. In 1965, Ansett-ANA and TAA both introduced special tourist air fares to Rockhampton Airport, a decision which was met with criticism in Canberra after the two company's claimed tourist air fares to Canberra weren't viable despite Rockhampton Airport recording a total of 43,368 passengers in 1963 compared to the 236,255 passengers handled by
Canberra Airport in the same period. Porters at Rockhampton Airport foiled an elaborate plan by five men to steal $600,000 in cash from the
Reserve Bank of Australia mid-flight from four separate planes across Queensland in what became known as "The Great Plane Robbery" during 1982. Just before 11am on 21 September 1982, the cargo section of a
TAA aircraft was opened after it had landed at Rockhampton. Upon being discovered, Woolcock attempted to escape but after running down the runway, he was captured by a porter and a pilot. Although a small breathing tube had been installed in his box, Woolcock appeared to be suffering from air sickness and oxygen deprivation from being in the cargo hold of the aircraft. was found in Mount Isa. The company wasn't successful in their bid to have the airport upgraded to international status. In 1988 during upgrade work, the demolition tunnels installed in 1940 were located and filled in. In February 1989, Rockhampton City Council was vested with ownership of the airport. In 1995, the
Royal Flying Doctor Service established a nice base at Rockhampton Airport. In 2015, the service egearly celebrated the 25th anniversary of the base which coincided with the opening of a new patient transfer facility which was unveiled by CEO of RFDS Queensland, Nino Di Marco. In March 2010, it was announced Jetstar would be withdrawing services from Rockhampton on 9 May 2010. The company blamed Rockhampton Regional Council for not being able to secure a competitive and long-term pricing arrangement. Passengers were not advised of the earlier departure and 55 were left behind, despite the attempts of an airport staff member reportedly attempting to physically prevent the plane taking off on the tarmac. However, several months later, the company said that they would be cutting flights to both Rockhampton and Mackay from 1 August 2011. The airline said that despite the routes being very popular, they would only return once the company had achieved more reliability in its other operations. The executive director of the service Mark Fewtrell said the new facility was much needed as the service had long outgrown their previous hangar. Rockhampton Regional Council described the announcement as "incredibly disappointing to Rockhampton." In December 2015, the company stated that their expansion to Rockhampton had proved successful with the Townsville to Rockhampton section of the route particularly well patronised. After experiencing a gradual downward trend from a peak of over 700,000 passengers each year during the mining boom between 2010 and 2012, passenger numbers using Rockhampton Airport increased by 3.6% in 2019, prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic. With military exercises regularly held in the
Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, military aircraft are a common sight at Rockhampton Airport. Following a fatal accident at Shoalwater Bay in 1981, the RAAF's fleet of
Iroquois helicopters were grounded. The RAAF Chinook helicopters then lifted the Iroquois helicopters from Shoalwater Bay and dropped them at Rockhampton Airport where they were dismantled and loaded into
C130 Hercules to be transported to
RAAF Base Amberley. 3SG Chen had died in a vehicular incident in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area while participating in Exercise Wallaby. == Past and future redevelopments ==