Clarence Valley Regional Airport
Airport in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clarence Valley Regional Airport (IATA: GFN, ICAO: YGFN) also known as Grafton Airport, is an airport 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) southeast[2] of Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is used by the NSW Air Ambulance Service, Royal Flying Doctor Service, LifeFlight, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service, and community service flights such as Angel Flight and Little Wings.
Clarence Valley Regional Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Clarence Valley Council | ||||||||||
| Location | Grafton, New South Wales | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 110 ft (34 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°45′36″S 153°01′48″E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.clarence.nsw.gov.au | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  YGFN Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2009/2010) | |||||||||||
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| Sources: Clarence Valley Council[1] | |||||||||||
The airport was formerly served by 24 weekly services to Sydney operated by Rex Airlines which ended in June 2022.
During the warmer spring and summer months, Grafton Airport is frequently used as a base for aircraft engaged in aerial firefighting by the NSW Rural Fire Service which has an established aviation branch at the airport.
In 2013, the Clarence Valley Council, which operates the airport, secured $2.12 million funding through loans and grants to upgrade the facilities at the airport.[3]
Emergency operations centre
In response to recommendations of the independent New South Wales inquiry into the 2020 Black Summer bushfire season, Clarence Valley Airport was selected as the site for a new emergency operations control centre in 2023.[4] The 6,100 m2 (66,000 sq ft) facility supports training and logistics for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and can serve as an operational control and coordination centre for State Government and volunteer agencies during a natural disaster response and recovery. The site was selected to improve access to aerial firefighting resources.[5]
