Ceduna Airport (CED)

Departures from Ceduna Airport (CED) at a glance

• 2flights a day86th busiest of 111 airports
• 1route from here
• 1airline
• 09:30 – 16:30first and last00061218

Collected 12 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Ceduna Airport (CED) serves Ceduna, on the shores of Murat Bay on the Great Australian Bight, on the Far West Coast of South Australia. The District Council of Ceduna runs the airport, and its airport page names Regional Express (Rex) as providing a passenger service to and from Adelaide. The council puts the town 780 km by road from Adelaide, and the Eyre Highway passes directly through Ceduna.

Two practical points apply to a trip through the airport. The long-term car park is unsealed and payment is required. For getting around, the council's airport page lists car rental companies, and the Head of Bight whale-watching area is a drive of about 3.5 to 4 hours west of Ceduna.

Who runs Ceduna Airport

The District Council of Ceduna lists the airport among its council property, and Airservices Australia's aerodrome entry, in the issue of 3 September 2026, names the council as the aerodrome operator. The council's office is at 44 O'Loughlin Terrace, Ceduna, and its airport page gives its phone number, (08) 8625 3407, and its email address, [email protected].

What is at Ceduna Airport

The council says the airport has a passenger terminal building, car parking and two runways. Runway 11/29 has a sealed surface and is 5700 ft long, and Runway 17/35 has a gravel surface and is 3300 ft long. The council also mentions night lighting facilities and a backup generator in operation.

Parking at Ceduna Airport

The council's airport page says the sealed car park is reserved for short-term parking of less than 2 hours. Payment is required in the long-term parking area, which is unsealed and monitored by closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

The council says payment can be made through links on its airport page, which are only available on a mobile device, or at the ticket machine located in the terminal.

Getting around by hire car

The council's airport page lists car rental companies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car (1300 106 666) and Budget Car & Truck Rental (08 8625 3365).

The Head of Bight visitors centre says visitors who prefer to fly and drive can fly to Ceduna or Port Lincoln and pick up a rental car from there.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Ceduna Airport

Direct domestic flights recorded from Ceduna Airport go to the destination below, with the airline recorded on it. The airline recorded is Rex.

Destination	Airport	Airlines recorded
Adelaide	Adelaide Airport (ADL)	Rex

The council's airport page says Rex provides a passenger service to and from Adelaide. By road, the Head of Bight visitors centre puts the drive from Adelaide to Ceduna at approximately 9 hours.

New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory observe daylight saving, and Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not. Ceduna and Adelaide are both in South Australia.

Flying Rex from Ceduna

Check-in, boarding and identification

Rex's check-in desk closes 30 minutes before the scheduled departure at regional airports in South Australia, and its boarding gate closes 15 minutes before. Rex recommends presenting checked bags at the airport 60 minutes before departure, and its web check-in opens 48 hours ahead and closes 60 minutes before. Passengers with special requirements must check in at the airport.

Rex says a passenger who is not ready at the boarding gate by the time it closes is excluded from boarding, with any checked baggage offloaded and the fare forfeited.

Rex's travel requirements page says passengers aged 18 and over must show an acceptable form of identification, either photo identification or two forms of non-photo identification, with the name matching the booking. Passengers aged 17 or under need none if they travel with, or are presented at check-in by, an identifiable guardian. Rex's Conditions of Carriage, separately, refer to satisfactory photo identification at check-in.

Baggage and cabin space

Rex's baggage page lists its regional services as operated by the Saab 340 turboprop. On those services Rex currently allows 7 kg of carry-on baggage on all fares, and 15 kg of checked baggage on Promo and Saver fares or 23 kg on Flex fares. On regional flights, Rex says items such as overnight bags and briefcases must not exceed 23 cm deep, 34 cm high and 48 cm long.

Rex says carry-on bags may be weighed and measured, and a bag over the limit at the boarding gate is offloaded and travels as checked baggage on the next available flight, for the passenger to collect on arrival. Rex also says the Saab 340's cargo compartment has only a very limited capacity, and that it may offload checked bags within the allowance when the aircraft is restricted in the baggage it can carry.

Stairs and special assistance

Rex describes boarding by the aircraft stairs. Rex asks for special requirements at least 48 hours before the planned departure, at booking on its website or through its Customer Contact Centre on 13 17 13.

When Rex flights are disrupted

Rex's Conditions of Carriage name inclement weather among the events beyond its control, and say times of arrival and departure are not guaranteed. If Rex changes the schedule or cancels the booked flight, the passenger may cancel the ticket and get a full refund. Rex's disruption page says that, because of the limited facilities at some of the regional airports it flies to, refreshments or meals may not always be available there.

Security screening and liquids rules

When an air service must be screened

This is the Commonwealth's general screening rule for air services. The Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre says an air service that operates open charter or a regular public transport operation must be aviation security screened if it:

• uses aircraft with a seating capacity of 40 or more persons
• operates from an Australian designated, tier 1 or tier 2 security controlled airport
• uses any aircraft departing from the same apron as a screened air service operating at a designated airport

Liquids, aerosols and gels

These are the Commonwealth's general rules for liquids, aerosols and gels. The Department of Home Affairs says each container must be 100 mL or 100 g or less, and all containers must fit in one transparent, resealable plastic bag. It lists these situations for the restrictions:

• when departing Australia
• when transiting through Australia from one country to another
• when travelling on the domestic leg of a flight departing from an Australian international terminal
• prior to boarding an inbound flight at its last point of departure before it reaches Australia

Ceduna's 2025 fruit fly outbreak, now declared over

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) declared an outbreak of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) in Ceduna in March 2025, after an adult Medfly was found during a routine check of permanent monitoring traps in Ceduna on 25 February 2025. Quarantine restrictions applied in the Ceduna outbreak area. PIRSA said at the time that, with Ceduna close to the Western Australian border, it was important for residents and visitors in the West Coast region to be aware of the restrictions on travelling with fresh fruit and vegetables in South Australia.

In a release of 11 November 2025 PIRSA said Ceduna had been declared free from Medfly and restrictions had been lifted, with no Medfly detected in Ceduna since April. It said permanent monitoring traps would remain in place in and around Ceduna, and described the Ceduna Quarantine Station as a key line of defence against Medfly entering from Western Australia, where the pest is established.

PIRSA's March 2025 release also recorded earlier Medfly outbreaks in Ceduna and Thevenard in 2018-19, which were eradicated. PIRSA keeps a page of current fruit fly outbreaks in South Australia, with an outbreak map for checking an address or destination.

Head of Bight and the Southern Right whales

The Head of Bight visitors centre says Southern Right whales visit the Head of Bight each year to give birth, mate and socialise, arriving in May and departing around October. In June and July most of the whales seen there are adults, and by late August the mothers can commonly be seen swimming along the cliffs with their young calves at their side.

From Ceduna, the centre's directions are to travel west along the Eyre Highway towards the Western Australian border. The viewing area is signposted along the highway and the road is tarred all the way to the visitors' centre. The centre puts the total driving time from Ceduna to the viewing area at approximately 3.5 to 4 hours.

The centre's travel tips page says Yalata Community and Head of Bight are dry zones, and that it is an offence to possess, sell or transport alcohol through Yalata Community or Head of Bight.

The centre's own page says the Head of Bight Tourist Centre is built on Yalata land held in trust by the Aboriginal Lands Trust.

Opening hours and facilities at the Head of Bight centre

The centre's visitor information page gives whale season hours, from 1 June to 30 October and pending the arrival and departure of the whales, of 8am to 5pm every day, public holidays included, with last entry at 4pm. Off season, from 1 November to 31 May, the hours are 8.30am to 4pm, except Christmas Day and Proclamation Day, with last entry at 3pm. The centre asks visitors to confirm opening hours on (08) 8625 6201.

The centre lists a viewing platform and boardwalks, toilets, a shaded picnic area, first aid equipment, a car park with coach and caravan parking, and access with assistance for disabled visitors, with wheelchairs available. Its food and drink list is hot and cold drinks, snacks and toasted sandwiches. The centre says no camping facilities are available at this time, and pets are not permitted in the centre or on the boardwalk.

Ceduna and the Far West Coast

The District Council of Ceduna describes its area as the most western local government area of South Australia, and one of the most isolated and remote councils in the state. Its history page names Ceduna/Thevenard, Koonibba, Smoky Bay and Denial Bay as towns within the council boundary, and puts Ceduna 1900 km by road from Perth.

Far West Coast native title

Ceduna Tourism says the Far West Coast of South Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for at least 40,000 years. It says the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation has looked after country on behalf of the Far West Coast traditional owners since their native title was recognised in 2013. The Far West Coast native title claim combined the claims of the region's cultural groups, among them the Mirning, Wirangu, Kokatha (Gugada), Yalata and Maralinga Tjarutja people.

Ceduna Tourism describes the Mirning people of the west as "people of the whale", with songs they sing to Southern Right whales. It says the sea lion and sea eagle are important totems for the Wirangu people, and that the saltwater families of the Kokatha people have beaches and fishing spots that are sacred to them.

Ceduna's history

The council's history page says Flinders anchored in Fowlers Bay on 28 January 1802 and named Denial Bay and Smoky Bay, and Baudin named Murat Bay and Thevenard. There was a whaling station on nearby St Peter Island during the 1850s, before settlement. The town of Ceduna was proclaimed in June 1901, and the Ceduna Jetty was built in 1902.

For many years locals called the township Murat Bay, and they adopted the name Ceduna after the railways called the siding Ceduna in 1915. The council says the word Ceduna is believed to come from the Aboriginal word Cheedoona, meaning "a place to rest".

The council also records that Ceduna's satellite earth station was built in 1969, and that by 1984 almost half of Australia's international telecommunication traffic passed through it. On 4 December 2002 the path of totality of a solar eclipse passed directly over the town.

Questions about Ceduna Airport

Which airline flies from Ceduna Airport?

This site's schedule data records Rex, flying direct from Ceduna to Adelaide.

Who runs Ceduna Airport?

The District Council of Ceduna runs it, and Airservices Australia's aerodrome entry of 3 September 2026 names the council as the aerodrome operator.

How early should I get to Ceduna Airport for a Rex flight?

Rex closes its check-in desk 30 minutes before departure at regional airports in South Australia, and its boarding gate 15 minutes before. Rex recommends presenting checked bags 60 minutes before departure.

How do I pay for parking at Ceduna Airport?

The council says payment is required in the long-term parking area, and can be made through links on its airport page, which are only available on a mobile device, or at the ticket machine in the terminal. The sealed car park is reserved for short-term parking of less than 2 hours.

Which car hire companies are named on the council's airport page?

The council's airport page lists car rental companies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Budget Car & Truck Rental.

How long is the drive from Ceduna to the Head of Bight?

The Head of Bight visitors centre puts it at approximately 3.5 to 4 hours, west along the Eyre Highway towards the Western Australian border.

When can you see whales at the Head of Bight?

The visitors centre says Southern Right whales arrive in May and depart around October, and by late August mothers can commonly be seen along the cliffs with their calves. Its whale season hours run from 1 June to 30 October, pending the arrival and departure of the whales.

Is the 2025 fruit fly outbreak in Ceduna over?

PIRSA's release of 11 November 2025 said Ceduna had been declared free from Medfly and that restrictions had been lifted. The outbreak had been declared in March 2025.

Does Ceduna observe daylight saving?

Yes. Ceduna is in South Australia, and South Australia observes daylight saving.