Merimbula Airport (MIM)

Departures from Merimbula Airport (MIM) at a glance

• 7flights a day45th busiest of 111 airports
• 3routes from here
• 2airlines
• 06:30 – 15:40first and last00061218

Collected 11 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Merimbula Airport (MIM) is on Arthur Kaine Drive, two kilometres south of the Merimbula township on the far south coast of New South Wales. Bega Valley Shire Council owns and operates it. The council says the airport provides essential links for professional, legal, specialist and medical services, and for passengers travelling for tourism, employment and business.

This site's schedule records show direct flights with Qantas to Sydney, and with Rex to Sydney, Melbourne and Moruya.

Ownership and history of Merimbula Airport

The airport was built in the 1950s and was owned and operated by the Commonwealth until 1997, when ownership passed to the shire under the Aerodrome Local Ownership Plan. That history is set out in the council's Master Plan 2043 for the airport, dated 2024. The plan also records that "no other feasible locations for the Airport exist in the Bega Valley Shire".

Besides passenger flights, the Master Plan records aeromedical flights, helicopters serving the South East Regional Hospital in Bega, a charter and flight-school operator, and private and recreational flying at the airport.

The terminal at Merimbula Airport

The terminal was developed in 2019 as an expansion of the original building. The 2024 Master Plan lists check-in, a departure lounge, baggage collection, car rental counters, a cafe and the airport management offices inside, with baggage loading and unloading areas outside and an outdoor seating and viewing area.

That plan also says departures often coincide, so passengers from more than one flight can be waiting to leave at the same time. It describes the terminal as busy but functional, with the outside areas taking the overspill.

Security screening rules and liquids

The rules below are the Commonwealth's general aviation security rules, not a description of screening at this terminal.

An open charter or regular public transport air service must be screened if it uses aircraft with a seating capacity of 40 or more persons. An open charter or regular public transport air service must be screened if it operates from an Australian designated, tier 1 or tier 2 security controlled airport. An open charter or regular public transport air service must be screened if it uses any aircraft departing from the same apron as a screened air service operating at a designated airport.

The 2024 Master Plan says the 2019 terminal extension includes provision for installing baggage and passenger screening, should the airport's security designation or the aviation security regulations change.

The Department of Home Affairs says its restrictions on liquids, aerosols and gels apply 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
• before boarding an inbound flight at its last point of departure before it reaches Australia

Ask your airline what screening and carry-on rules apply to your flight.

Getting to and from Merimbula Airport

Parking at Merimbula Airport

The council's airport page says long-term, unsecured parking is available at the airport and is currently not time restricted. The 2024 Master Plan also described timed short-term spaces beside the terminal, untimed spaces to the south of it, a secure car park run by a private lessee, and informal parking across Arthur Kaine Drive.

The same plan notes "an identified shortage of car parking availability", and respondents to the plan's community survey were least satisfied with the ease of getting from the car park to the terminal. In April 2025 the council said it intended modest car park improvements on the airport side of Arthur Kaine Drive, to ease the reliance on parking across the road.

Car hire and taxis at Merimbula Airport

Car rental counters are in the terminal, according to the 2024 Master Plan, which also records Hertz using a hangar north of the terminal. Sapphire Coast Tourism's getting-here page names Europcar and Hertz among the car hire companies for the region.

Sapphire Coast Tourism also includes taxi services among the airport's facilities, and its getting-here page names Merimbula Taxis, Bega Taxis, Eden Taxis and Bermagui Taxis.

Buses, coaches and driving to the Sapphire Coast

Sapphire Coast Tourism says public transport in the region is limited, and recommends hire cars or self-drive trips. It lists Sapphire Coast Bus Lines, which runs bus services to Merimbula, Bega, Tathra, Pambula, Tura Beach, Kalaru, Wolumla, Pambula Beach, Eden and the places between them. For coaches to the region from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, it names V/Line and Premier Motor Service.

By road, the tourism body gives a drive to the Sapphire Coast of 3 hours from Canberra via Cooma, and of 6 to 7 hours from Melbourne or Sydney.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Merimbula Airport

This site's schedule records show direct domestic flights from Merimbula Airport to the places below, with the airlines recorded on each route.

Destination	Airport	Airlines recorded
Melbourne	Melbourne Airport (MEL)	Rex
Moruya	Moruya Airport (MYA)	Rex
Sydney	Sydney Airport (SYD)	Qantas, Rex

The 2024 Master Plan says Rex had flown to Merimbula continuously since 2003, and that Qantas began flying there in December 2020. At that time the plan named the Saab 340 for Rex and Dash 8 types for Qantas, and described some Rex services to Sydney as operating via Moruya, so check the stops when booking with the airline.

Merimbula and Sydney are in New South Wales, and Melbourne is in Victoria. Both states observe daylight saving, as do South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, while Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not.

The runway and works at Merimbula Airport

The council's airport page describes an asphalt runway of 1,602 metres by 30 metres. The Master Plan adds that starter extensions give a total take-off length of 1,721 metres in each direction, and records that the runway was closed from the end of January to mid-March 2022 for a major pavement upgrade.

A media release from the federal Minister for Infrastructure, under Round 4 of the Regional Airports Program, announced funding for the council to deliver stage two of the runway extension. The release said stage two would add an 80-metre pavement extension at both ends of the runway, for a take-off length of 1,800 metres. It said the longer runway would let larger narrow-bodied aircraft land, supporting emergency services including larger firefighting and military aircraft, and would add capacity for passenger services.

The council's project page for stage two lists the project as in progress, with a proposed completion date of December 2027.

In April 2025 the council said the next phase of the Merimbula Airport Precinct would replace the temporary fencing along Arthur Kaine Drive north of the terminal, alongside grant-funded drainage works and a General Aviation Precinct with space for hangars and aviation businesses. The council expected minimal disruption to airport operations or public access.

Merimbula and the Sapphire Coast

Sapphire Coast Tourism places the Sapphire Coast on the far south coast of New South Wales, roughly halfway between Melbourne and Sydney. It runs from Bermagui in the north to Wonboyn in the south and takes in the towns and villages of the Bega Valley Shire.

Merimbula sits on the edge of Merimbula Lake and Bay. Eden is set on Twofold Bay, surrounded by national park, and is known for its whale and maritime history; Sapphire Coast Tourism says humpback whales pause to feed there during their southern migration.

The tourism body points visitors to whale watching in spring and to the Tathra Steamer Wharf. It lists visitor information centres at Bermagui, Merimbula, Eden, Bega and Cobargo.

Questions about Merimbula Airport

Who owns and runs Merimbula Airport?

Bega Valley Shire Council owns and operates the airport. The Commonwealth owned and operated it until 1997.

How far is Merimbula Airport from Merimbula?

The council says the airport is on Arthur Kaine Drive, two kilometres south of the Merimbula township.

Can I hire a car at Merimbula Airport?

The 2024 Master Plan shows car rental counters in the terminal, and Sapphire Coast Tourism names Europcar and Hertz among the region's car hire companies.

Which places have direct flights from Merimbula Airport?

This site's schedule records show direct flights to Sydney with Qantas and Rex, and to Melbourne and Moruya with Rex.

Does Merimbula observe daylight saving?

Yes. New South Wales observes daylight saving, and so does Victoria, where Melbourne is.