Alice Springs Airport (ASP)

Departures from Alice Springs Airport (ASP) at a glance

• 16flights a day20th busiest of 111 airports
• 9routes from here
• 4airlines
• 10:50 – 19:00first and last00061218

Collected between 27 September 2026 and 12 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Alice Springs Airport (ASP) is on Santa Teresa Road, Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, and Tourism Central Australia, the regional tourism body, puts it 15 kilometres from the town. The terminal opens 1.5 hours before the first departure and closes 15 minutes after the last departure.

The Central Land Council (CLC) says travellers on non-public roads through Aboriginal freehold land in its region need a permit. Flights from Alice Springs to Adelaide and Perth land in states that set their own rules on the fruit and vegetables you can bring in.

Airlines and Destinations From Alice Springs Airport

The airlines recorded on direct domestic flights from Alice Springs Airport include Qantas, Alliance Airlines, Airnorth and Virgin Australia. Direct domestic flights recorded from Alice Springs go to these destinations, with the airlines recorded on each:

Destination	Airport	Airlines recorded
Adelaide	Adelaide Airport (ADL)	Qantas, Alliance Airlines, Virgin Australia
Brisbane	Brisbane Airport (BNE)	Qantas, Alliance Airlines
Cairns	Cairns Airport (CNS)	Airnorth
Darwin	Darwin International Airport (DRW)	Qantas, Alliance Airlines, Airnorth
Katherine	Katherine Tindal Civilian Airport (KTR)	Airnorth
Melbourne	Melbourne Airport (MEL)	Qantas
Perth	Perth Airport (PER)	Airnorth
Sydney	Sydney Airport (SYD)	Qantas
Tennant Creek	Tennant Creek Airport (TCA)	Airnorth

The Terminal at Alice Springs Airport

Check-in and security screening are on the ground floor of the terminal building. As you come in, the check-in counters are on the right-hand side, and the screening area is next to them. After screening, you go through to the departure gates.

Check-in and Security Screening

Flight information screens near the terminal entry show where your airline's check-in desk is. Check your airline's check-in requirements, including when to check in, before you travel.

Bladed implements, such as knives and tools, are prohibited in hand luggage, and rules apply to liquids, aerosols and gels. The government's "Can you bring it on a plane?" guide sets out what can go in hand luggage. Photographing the screening equipment, security staff or airline staff is not allowed, and bags must not be left unattended.

Arrivals

The baggage carousels are on the ground floor, and there is a tourist brochure stand near the carousel on the eastern side of the terminal. Taxis, private hire cars and the airport shuttle are just outside the terminal.

Facilities at Alice Springs Airport

Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the terminal building, and there are chilled water fountains. An automated teller machine (ATM) is landside, before the screening point. Baggage trolleys are free, in the baggage collection area, the car parks and the terminal.

Toilets, showers and a baby change room are in the airside departure area, and there is a post box past the security screening point. Smoking is prohibited inside the terminal, and the signposted smoking areas are outdoors, including at the front of the terminal.

A limited number of storage lockers are in the Oversize Baggage Room, opposite the Airport Management Centre. Lost property is held at the Airport Management Centre (08 8951 1211), and anything left on the aircraft goes to the airline.

Accessibility

Wheelchairs are available on request from airline staff, and the operator says all terminal facilities are accessible for wheelchairs. Holders of a Disability Parking Permit can use free bays in the Short Term car park for up to 12 hours, showing the permit to the camera at the exit.

Qantas Lounge

The Qantas Lounge is next to Gate 9, with showers, refreshments, internet access and bar service after midday. It is Qantas's own lounge, so check entry rules with Qantas.

Food, Drink and Shops

The Discovered Cafe is in the departure lounge area between domestic arrival gates 5 and 6, with a licensed bar, a full menu and indoor seating that opens onto an outdoor garden. Opening hours are subject to change.

The Blue Bilby Cafe is near the check-in desks, before screening. News Travel sells news, books, gifts and travel essentials.

Getting to and From Alice Springs Airport

An airport shuttle, taxis, private hire cars and car hire serve the terminal, and there are short-term and long-term car parks.

Airport Shuttle

The Alice Springs Airport Shuttle Service carries passengers between the airport and the town centre, hotels, motels and hostels. Please book it in advance.

Taxis and Private Hire

Alice Springs Taxis and 13 Cabs serve the airport, and 13 Cabs has an airport desk. The private hire companies listed for the airport are ASP Private Hire, Wheelies Private Hire, Denis Private Hire and A&P Private Hire.

Car Hire

The car rental companies listed for the airport include Thrifty, Enterprise, Hertz, Europcar and Budget.

Drop-off and Parking

A vehicle dropping off at the front of the terminal has to be attended at all times, and the driver may stay in the drop-off area only while actively loading or unloading. Kerbside public parking is prohibited, and unattended vehicles can be issued an infringement notice.

The Short Term car park is directly in front of the terminal, entered from Halsey Drive, and the first 10 minutes are free. You take a ticket on entry and pay inside the terminal.

The Long Term car park is on the eastern side of the terminal, with shade structures and a maximum clearance of 2.3 m. The help button in the car park connects to a call centre 24/7.

Who Runs Alice Springs Airport

According to the airport's 2020 Master Plan, Alice Springs Airport Pty Ltd holds a 50-year lease over the airport site from the Australian Government, with a 49-year option, under the Airports Act 1996. The same document names Airport Development Group as the parent company, which also owns the companies behind Darwin International Airport and Tennant Creek Airport. The airport was privatised in 1998.

Driving From Alice Springs to Uluru and the Red Centre Way

Parks Australia describes the Red Centre Way as a multi-day drive taking in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Watarrka (Kings Canyon), Tjoritja (West MacDonnell Ranges) and Alice Springs, among other places. Uluru / Ayers Rock is 465 km from Alice Springs by road, according to Parks Australia, about 5.5 hours of driving if you go directly.

Car hire is available at Alice Springs, Yulara or the airport at Yulara, according to Parks Australia. That airport is Ayers Rock/Connellan Airport (AYQ).

Permits for Aboriginal Land in Central Australia

The Central Land Council says its permits are a legal requirement under federal and Northern Territory law, and that Aboriginal land in its region is private land. Most people visiting that land need a written permit, including travellers on non-public roads through Aboriginal freehold land and visitors staying overnight or longer in a community.

The CLC says anyone passing through an Aboriginal community on a public road can visit public areas such as the store, art centre or local government office without a permit, but a transit permit is needed if the community is reached by a non-public road.

Transit Permits and the Mereenie Tour Pass

The roads the CLC names as needing a transit permit include the Tjukaruru Road (between Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Western Australian border), the Gary Junction Road (between Papunya and the Western Australian border), and the Sandy Blight Road from Kintore to Kaltukatjara (Docker River), which also needs a separate Ngaanyatjarra Council permit for the Western Australian land. On the Glen Helen to Papunya Road, the transit permit covers day access for individuals to the Ikuntji Arts Centre. The CLC says transit permits for these roads are self-issued online, except on the Mereenie Loop Road, where the Mereenie Tour Pass is used.

For the Mereenie Loop Road between the Kata Pata Pass and Watarrka National Park, the CLC's Mereenie Tour Pass combines a transit permit with a visitor information booklet and map. The pass is sold at outlets including the CLC reception (27 Stuart Highway, Alice Springs), Tourism Central Australia, the Ntaria (Hermannsburg) Store, Glen Helen Resort and Kings Canyon (Watarrka) Resort. The CLC says camping along the Mereenie Loop Road is not permitted.

Entry Permits, Alcohol and Photography

An entry permit covers entering, staying on or travelling through Aboriginal land on non-public roads that a transit permit does not cover, including the Madigan Line, Hay River Track and Colson Track to and from the Simpson Desert. The CLC says permits other than the Mereenie Tour Pass are applied for online, and that refusals are rare and usually because of traditional ceremony activity, a large funeral or poor road conditions after rain.

The CLC says the possession, consumption and sale of alcohol on Aboriginal land is prohibited, although transit visitors may carry alcohol as long as they do not drink it on Aboriginal land. Photographing Aboriginal land for private, non-commercial purposes needs no media permit, but ask before you photograph people. The rules and the online applications are on the Central Land Council's permits page, and permit enquiries go to 08 8951 6211.

Buying Takeaway Alcohol in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory Government says you will always need to show an approved form of identification (ID) to buy takeaway alcohol, so that the seller can check you are not banned from buying it. Approved forms include an Evidence of Age card and Australian or most international driver licences and passports, and your ID is returned before you pay.

A visitor whose own state has issued them a digital driver licence can use it, but a photo of an ID is not accepted.

Fruit and Vegetable Rules on Flights to Adelaide and Perth

South Australia and Western Australia each set their own rules on the fruit and vegetables you can carry in, and the rules that apply are those of the state you land in.

Flying From Alice Springs to Adelaide

South Australia requires fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly to be eaten or disposed of before you enter the state, and its rules differ by the state or territory you travel from. For travellers from the Northern Territory, avocados, fresh fruit, fruiting vegetables (capsicum, chilli, eggplant, tomato and tamarillo), soil and grapevines are not allowed.

Processed, dried, preserved, cooked, frozen or canned fruit and vegetables are allowed from the Northern Territory, as are leafy vegetables, root vegetables that are soil-free with the tops removed, fresh and cut herbs, mushrooms, pineapple, onions, garlic and dried nuts. For items such as melons, cucurbits (pumpkin, zucchini), spinach, silver beet, peas, beans, honey, bee products, seedlings and pot plants, call the Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010. The full Northern Territory table is on the South Australian fruit fly page.

Flying From Alice Springs to Perth

Western Australia requires quarantine risk material to be declared to a Quarantine Inspector on arrival. Its advice for air travellers is to declare any item you are unsure about to a quarantine inspector or put it in one of the bins at the airport when you arrive in Western Australia, and inspectors with sniffer dogs may check your bags as you collect them from the carousel.

Western Australia's list of permitted fresh fruit and vegetables includes pineapple, peeled and diced watermelon, peeled onions and garlic, carrots, corn on the cob with the husk removed, and commercially packaged mushrooms, and each has to be free of sprouting green growth, soil, pests and disease. Western Australia says the entry requirements for listed items can change with recent pest and disease outbreaks.

Honey is prohibited unless certified on a Health Certificate. For questions before you fly, Quarantine WA is on 08 9334 1800.

Daylight Saving on Flights From Alice Springs

The Northern Territory does not observe daylight saving, and nor do Queensland and Western Australia. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory do, so check the local time at the other end before arranging a pick-up.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alice Springs Airport

How far is Alice Springs Airport from the town?

Tourism Central Australia puts the airport 15 kilometres from the town. The Alice Springs Airport Shuttle Service carries passengers between the airport and the town centre, hotels, motels and hostels, and asks that you book in advance. Taxis and private hire cars are just outside the terminal.

When is the terminal at Alice Springs Airport open?

The terminal opens 1.5 hours before the first departure and closes 15 minutes after the last departure.

How far is Uluru from Alice Springs by road?

Parks Australia puts Uluru 465 km from Alice Springs by road, about 5.5 hours if you drive directly. Rental car keys can be collected at Alice Springs Airport.

Do I need a permit to drive the Mereenie Loop Road from Alice Springs?

Yes, according to the Central Land Council. Its Mereenie Tour Pass combines the transit permit with a visitor information booklet and map, and it is sold in Alice Springs at the CLC reception and Tourism Central Australia, among other places.

Can I take fruit on a flight from Alice Springs to Adelaide?

Fresh fruit, avocados and fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes and capsicums are not allowed into South Australia from the Northern Territory, and they have to be eaten or disposed of before you enter the state. Processed, dried, cooked, frozen or canned fruit is allowed.