Images show why Airport upgrades were so important

New birds-eye images of Darwin Airport runway show why Defence wanted urgent repairs to begin immediately. See how the tarmac looks.

With Darwin Airport runway works picking up, this masthead can reveal exclusively why the Department of Defence and commonwealth were in a major hurry to get the $200m project underway.

Potentially thousands of flights over the next two years could be disrupted as the works program gains pace.

Nearmap images obtained by the NT News show the countless repairs and patch-ups undertaken on the joint-user runway over the past decade and a half since the last tarmac upgrades were done.

Darwin Airport’s full runway. Aerial imagery by Nearmap.

Nearmap’s high-resolution images illustrate why urgent repairs were needed to the main runway.

Image one (above) shows an overview of the kilometre long tarmac; image two is the south eastern end and the third image shows the urgent patching that was done in 2021, requiring a shortening of the runway and disrupting Darwin-London flights.

A Defence spokesman said major airfield resurfacing works at RAAF Base Darwin and Darwin International Airport were necessary “to preserve the integrity of the runways and taxiways and ensure the safety of aircraft and passengers”.

Darwin Airport runway’s southeastern end. Aerial imagery by Nearmap.

The cracks shown in the Nearmap images are sealed with a rubberised bitumen solution to prevent water seepage and to preserve the integrity of the pavement.

The last major asphalt lay at Darwin Airport was in 2007, and Defence has an ongoing inspection program that identifies cracks or areas of the runway that require minor repair.

Defence said incidences of cracking increase with the age and use of the runway.

The first phase of the $200m package, which will be split between Darwin International Airport and RAAF Base Darwin, was expected to wrap up by the end of this week.

Disruptions to flights are expected to begin Monday when the main runway will be closed daily from 2am to 11.30am, until November 30.

Urgent runway patching from 2021. Aerial imagery by Nearmap.

Defence had originally planned to commence the works in 2020 but Covid-19 meant the upgrades were deferred until this year.

The timing of the works has drawn criticism from some Top End tourist operators as they are expected to spill over two dry seasons, meaning disruption for inbound and outbound passengers over two peak tourist periods.

Defence had previously said sections of the runway began to show signs of deterioration early last year, leading to safety concerns that resulted in the early works getting underway in late August.

Works are expected to be completed by November 2024.