Lord Howe Island Airport (LDH)

Departures from Lord Howe Island Airport (LDH) at a glance

• 6flights a day48th busiest of 111 airports
• 1route from here
• 1airline
• 09:40 – 15:30first and last00061218

Collected 30 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Lord Howe Island Airport (LDH) is the airport on Lord Howe Island, which UNESCO places in the Tasman Sea. The island is part of the State of New South Wales and is managed by the Lord Howe Island Board, a New South Wales Government statutory authority that also owns and operates the airport. The Board describes the island as 11 kilometres long and 2.8 kilometres wide at its widest point.

This site's schedule data records Skytrans flying direct to Sydney. Skytrans's baggage rule for Lord Howe Island flights says an additional checked item may not be carried on the same flight, and the Board asks visitors to complete its biosecurity checklist before they travel.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Lord Howe Island Airport

Direct domestic flights recorded from Lord Howe Island Airport go to the destination below, flown by Skytrans.

Destination	Airport	Airline recorded
Sydney	Sydney Airport (SYD)	Skytrans

Skytrans says that from 1 December 2025 the Lord Howe Island to Sydney route has been fully operated by Skytrans Australia, using Dash-8 turboprop aircraft. It also says Transport for New South Wales awarded it the route licence in October 2024.

The airport and the airfield

The Board says the airport was built in 1974 by the Australian Army Corps of Engineers and that it heralded the end of the regular flying boat service between Rose Bay in Sydney and the island. The Board describes Lord Howe Island Airport as a Certified Security Controlled Airport.

The Board's page for aircraft operators gives the runway as Code 2C, 888 m long, with a grooved asphalt surface. It says aerodrome operating times are daylight hours only, and that the solar-powered runway, taxiway and obstacle lighting is activated on request for emergencies only.

Flying Skytrans to and from Lord Howe Island

Sydney Airport terminals

Skytrans's Terms and Conditions say its Sydney flights depart from Domestic Terminal 3 and arrive at Domestic Terminal 2. The Lord Howe Island Board's community questions and answers of July 2025 give Terminal 3 for check-in and departure and Terminal 2 for arrival.

Check-in and identification

Skytrans's Terms and Conditions close check-in 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time at airports other than a named list of Cape York airports, and Lord Howe Island is not on that list. Passengers who do not check in before closure will not be able to travel, and passengers who have checked in online must still present their bags to the check-in counter before closure.

Skytrans says you will be required to provide identification at check-in, and asks passengers to contact it before departure with any questions about acceptable identification.

Baggage on Lord Howe Island flights

Skytrans has a separate baggage rule for flights to and from Lord Howe Island, set out on its travel information page. It currently allows carry-on baggage of two items up to 7 kg total combined weight, and checked baggage of one main item up to 14 kg and one additional item up to 9 kg.

Skytrans says that, due to operational restrictions at Lord Howe Island, the additional item may not be carried on the same flight, and asks customers to pack all essential belongings in their main item. It also says excess baggage may not be carried on the stated flight, even if prepaid, and does not take priority over other passengers' checked baggage allowance. Wheelchairs, other mobility aids and strollers do not count towards the allowance.

Skytrans says it is against the law to bring restricted items, as defined by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, onto the aircraft in carry-on or checked baggage, and gives compressed gases (some common camping equipment), flammable liquids and solids, firearms (which it says may only be carried with approval as checked luggage) and poisons (not including medical prescriptions) as common examples. It asks for damaged or lost baggage to be reported within 24 hours, to its staff on arrival or, if no staff are present, with photographic evidence taken at the airport. Check Skytrans's conditions before you pack.

Children and special assistance

Skytrans's Terms and Conditions class infants as under 2 years, children as 2 to 11 years inclusive and adults as 12 years and over. Skytrans says an infant must travel with a parent or a passenger 15 years of age or over who is an immediate family member or authorised guardian, with one infant per adult passenger, and that children must be accompanied in the same way unless accepted for carriage as an unaccompanied minor. Its unaccompanied minor form, effective 1 July 2024, asks for an escort who stays at the airport until the flight has departed, and a named person to collect the child, who will be required to produce identification.

Skytrans says it may be able to provide limited assistance at some ports for special requirements such as wheelchairs and service dogs, and asks passengers to contact it before booking to confirm availability. Where it requires one, a Medical Clearance Form must be completed by a registered medical practitioner no more than 10 days before the scheduled flight, unless it approves otherwise. Skytrans does not provide therapeutic oxygen for passenger use.

Delays, cancellations and weather

Skytrans's Terms and Conditions say changes to schedule times may occur for a variety of reasons without notice, and that in the event of a cancellation or delayed flight it may move passengers to alternative flights. Its Disrupt Policy, effective 1 July 2025, lists weather affecting operational conditions among the delays outside its control, and says passengers are notified by text message (SMS) and email using their booking contact details.

The policy ties its offer of accommodation, where available, to cancellations for reasons within Skytrans's control when the next available flight is on the following day or later, for passengers away from their home port. Skytrans recommends travel insurance.

Biosecurity rules for arriving on Lord Howe Island

The Board says the island's biosecurity rules are different to those for New South Wales and the Australian mainland. Its pre-departure biosecurity page asks anyone travelling to the island to comply with its biosecurity requirements and complete its visitor biosecurity checklist before they arrive.

Before you pack

The Board's Guide to Living on Lord Howe Island asks arrivals to wash and clean all clothes, brush footwear and accessories to remove soil and mud, and vacuum bags and pockets to remove seeds and soil. It says boots, bags, hats, sporting equipment and walking poles should be sprayed with 70% methylated spirits and water to guard against plant pathogens such as Phytophthora and myrtle rust.

The same guide says skinks, geckos, beetles, spiders and even mice can hitch a ride to the island in your bags. To avoid that, it asks you to pack food items in sealed airtight containers, and to close your bags securely and raise them off the floor in a clean area once you have finished packing.

The Board says the island has removed invasive mammals including cats, goats, pigs and, most recently, rodents, with island-wide checks in 2023 confirming the eradication. Its guide says a live rodent has not been sighted on the island since August 2021, and asks that any sign of a rat or mouse be reported to the Board.

On arrival and on the walking tracks

The Board's 2023 visitor biosecurity checklist says that on arrival you will be asked to clean your shoes by walking across a sanitisation mat, and that a biosecurity dog will inspect your bag. The Board's pre-departure page says spray bottles are available at your accommodation and sets out steps to follow at all track heads.

The Board asks visitors to sanitise hiking gear at the sanitisation stations at track heads, and its guide asks walkers to use the boot scrub bays at the start of the tracks and to stay on marked walking tracks. The Board says that under the Biosecurity Act 2015 everyone has a general biosecurity duty, and asks people to report biosecurity risks such as rodent sightings and noxious weeds.

Plants, flowers, animals and food

The Board's guide says the importation of any plants, including trees, seedlings, cut flowers and foliage, ornamentals and mulch, requires prior approval from the Board, and that plants may be seized, destroyed or disposed of by the Board. A bouquet for a special occasion needs a plant importation application approved before the flowers arrive, and the guide says some common floristry species are restricted. The Board's 2023 checklist says plants from the Myrtaceae family are not permitted, and its guide lists all plant species from the Myrtaceae family among the plants not allowed to be taken to the island.

The Board says no live animals are permitted for import to the island without its prior approval, and that this includes all domestic animals and pets. You can bring your own food, the Board says, but all food items should be carefully inspected for any presence or sign of pests.

Board rules on camping, fires, walks and drones

The Board's guide says camping is not permitted as an activity for visitors, and that open fires are banned across the island other than in barbecues, with beach fires prohibited. The guide says access to Mt Gower and Roach Island is not permitted without a licensed tour guide.

Bicycles are not permitted on any of the Permanent Park Preserve walking tracks or the Little Island track, according to the guide, and access to Mt Eliza is restricted in the bird nesting season. The Board's visitors page says that if manned aircraft are operating on the island you must bring a drone to ground, and that drones are not permitted along the aircraft arrival and departure paths shown on its Drone Operations Map.

Getting around and practical points on the island

The Board points visitors to the Lord Howe Island Tourism Association's website for detailed visitor information. The association says the island is best explored on foot or by bike, that bicycles are standard transport and can be hired from local operators, and that a limited number of rental cars is also available.

There is no mobile coverage on the island, the association says, but public telephones and internet connections are available at various locations, including the Visitor Centre and the Lord Howe Island Museum. A small torch or headlamp is suggested, as there are very few streetlights, and credit cards are widely accepted but not everywhere, with an ATM available. The Board's guide places the Visitor Centre in the foyer of the museum.

The association also advises booking your Lord Howe Island flights and accommodation at the same time, as tourist spaces are limited.

What brings people to Lord Howe Island

The Board says the Lord Howe Island Group was inscribed on the World Heritage Register under the World Heritage Convention. UNESCO describes it as an outstanding example of oceanic islands of volcanic origin, with a unique biota of plants and animals and the world's most southerly true coral reef. It names the flightless Lord Howe Woodhen and the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, a stick insect feared extinct until its rediscovery on Balls Pyramid, and calls the island group the only major breeding locality for the Providence Petrel.

The Board says 75% of the main island and all outlying islands are protected for conservation purposes as a Permanent Park Preserve. The Tourism Association lists snorkelling on the reef, walking tracks and mountain summits, birdwatching, fishing, glass-bottom boats and golf among things to do.

The association names December to February as a popular season, and says winter accommodation and experiences may be limited. It gives average temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius in summer and a winter range of 13 to 19 degrees Celsius.

Commonwealth aviation security rules

Commonwealth screening rule for air services

The Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC) 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

Home Affairs liquids, aerosols and gels restrictions

The Department of Home Affairs applies its liquids, aerosols and gels restrictions in these situations:

• 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

Where they apply, each container must be 100 mL or 100 g or less, and all containers must fit in one transparent, re-sealable plastic bag.

Questions about Lord Howe Island Airport

Which airline flies from Lord Howe Island Airport?

Direct domestic flights recorded from Lord Howe Island Airport go to Sydney, flown by Skytrans. Skytrans says it has fully operated the Lord Howe Island to Sydney route since 1 December 2025, using Dash-8 turboprop aircraft.

Which Sydney Airport terminals do Skytrans's Lord Howe Island flights use?

Skytrans's Terms and Conditions say its Sydney flights depart from Domestic Terminal 3 and arrive at Domestic Terminal 2. The Lord Howe Island Board's community questions and answers also give Terminal 3 for check-in and departure and Terminal 2 for arrival.

How much baggage can you take on a Skytrans flight to Lord Howe Island?

Skytrans currently allows two carry-on items up to 7 kg combined, and checked baggage of one main item up to 14 kg and one additional item up to 9 kg. It says the additional item may not be carried on the same flight, and asks customers to pack all essential belongings in their main item. Check Skytrans's travel information before you fly.

Can you bring plants or flowers to Lord Howe Island?

The Board's guide says any plants, including cut flowers and foliage, seedlings and mulch, need the Board's prior approval, and that a bouquet needs a plant importation application approved before the flowers arrive. The Board's 2023 checklist says plants from the Myrtaceae family are not permitted, and its guide lists all plant species from the Myrtaceae family among the plants not allowed to be taken to the island.

Does Lord Howe Island observe daylight saving?

A New South Wales Government page on time, last updated April 2022, gives Lord Howe Island its own standard time and says the island observes daylight saving. The New South Wales Government lists New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory as observing daylight saving, and Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory as not.