Tennant Creek Airport (TCA)

Departures from Tennant Creek Airport (TCA) at a glance

• 4flights a day61st busiest of 111 airports
• 3routes from here
• 1airline
• 12:45 – 16:35first and last00061218

Collected between 30 October 2026 and 31 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.

Tennant Creek Airport (TCA) serves the town of Tennant Creek in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, and its operator puts it about 1 kilometre from the town centre. Airservices Australia's aerodrome entry names Tennant Creek Airport Pty Ltd as the aerodrome operator, and Airport Development Group says it owns and operates the airport. This site's schedule data records Airnorth flying direct from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs, Darwin and Katherine.

Who runs Tennant Creek Airport

Airservices Australia's aerodrome entry for Tennant Creek, in the issue of 3 September 2026, names Tennant Creek Airport Pty Ltd as the aerodrome operator. Airport Development Group (ADG) says on its own site that it owns and operates Tennant Creek Airport among its Northern Territory airports.

The operator's site gives the terminal's address as 28 Irvine Street, Tennant Creek, and its contact phone as 0402 088 160.

Where Tennant Creek Airport is

The operator says the airport is bounded by Irvine Street, the Stuart Highway and Scott Street, with open scrub land to the west and north, and that it is about 1 kilometre from the town centre. Its visitor page places Tennant Creek on the Explorer's Way, 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs and 1000 kilometres south of Darwin. To the east is the Barkly Tablelands, which the operator describes as land that supports outback cattle stations.

The terminal at Tennant Creek Airport

The operator says the terminal is open during flight operations, and describes it as relatively small and as typically offering basic amenities. Flight information screens near the terminal entry show where the airline's check-in desk is, and baggage is claimed in the terminal. The terminal has toilets, including dedicated disabled toilet facilities.

The operator says a first aid kit is available at the airport, and that a traveller or carer who needs a private room to give medication can have access by contacting the Airport Supervisor first. Certified guide dogs, hearing dogs and other assistance dogs are welcome inside the terminal under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dog Act 2009, the operator says.

Parking for travellers and visitors is near the terminal building, and two of the bays are designated for disabled parking.

What the aerodrome entry lists at Tennant Creek

Under passenger facilities, the aerodrome entry lists a passenger lounge, toilets and a hire car. Airservices' key to those codes cautions that a taxi or hire car may need a phone call after arrival.

Getting from Tennant Creek Airport into town

The operator's passenger page suggests texting family or friends to be picked up, collecting rental car keys, or catching a taxi. Its transport options page lists a taxi service and a car rental company, each with an address on Patterson Street.

The taxi listed is Tennant Creek Taxi Service, with bookings on +61 8 8962 3626. The car rental company listed is Thrifty, at Shop 3, 216 Patterson Street, with bookings on +61 8 8962 2358.

Direct domestic flights recorded from Tennant Creek Airport

Direct domestic flights recorded from Tennant Creek Airport go to the destinations below, with the airline recorded on each. The airline recorded is Airnorth.

Destination	Airport	Airlines recorded
Alice Springs	Alice Springs Airport (ASP)	Airnorth
Darwin	Darwin International Airport (DRW)	Airnorth
Katherine	Katherine Tindal Civilian Airport (KTR)	Airnorth

Tennant Creek is in the Northern Territory, which does not observe daylight saving. The New South Wales Government lists New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory as observing it, and Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory as not.

Flying Airnorth from Tennant Creek

Check-in and identification

Airnorth's conditions of carriage say domestic passengers should complete check-in at least 60 minutes and no later than 30 minutes before departure, and that travel will not be permitted for a passenger who has not checked in by the minimum time. Web check-in opens 24 hours before departure, but passengers with bags to check go to an Airnorth counter, and passengers with special needs and unaccompanied minors check in with staff at the airport. Airnorth also says some of its routes are excluded from web check-in for operational reasons.

Airnorth's conditions list the photographic identification it accepts for domestic flights, valid at the time of travel: a national passport, a driver's licence issued under Commonwealth, State or Territory law, an identifying document issued by the Commonwealth, a State or Territory or an authority of one, or an aviation security identification card. A passenger who checks in online may be asked to show photo identification at the boarding gate.

Baggage and cabin space

Airnorth sets its baggage allowances by aircraft type. On domestic flights it currently allows each adult and child 20 kg of checked baggage on its Embraer E170 and E190 jets and 15 kg on its Embraer E120 turboprop, with no single piece over 32 kg. In the cabin, Airnorth allows 9 kg on the E170 and 4 kg on the E120.

Airnorth's carry-on page asks passengers connecting to an E120 to make sure their carry-on bag meets the E120 requirements, and notes there can be a fair distance to walk at some airports and limited space in the cabin. Airnorth says that if it encounters payload restrictions, checked baggage is carried on the next available flight, for collection from the airport. Check Airnorth's baggage pages before you fly.

Airnorth's dangerous goods page, which covers what may be carried as baggage on its flights, lists alcoholic beverages as allowed in carry-on and checked baggage, in retail packaging, up to 5 litres per person, with an alcohol content no higher than 70%.

Children travelling with Airnorth

As a guideline, Airnorth regards children not yet five as unable to travel independently, and it generally will not consider a passenger an appropriate accompanying passenger for a child unless that passenger is at least 15. Unaccompanied children are booked through Airnorth Reservations on 1800 627 474, and must be at the airport no later than 60 minutes before a domestic departure. Airnorth says a child under 12 travelling unaccompanied is escorted through the airport by airline staff.

Special assistance and boarding

Airnorth asks passengers with special needs to complete its assistance form and email it to [email protected] at least 72 hours before the flight, and says that without advance notice a passenger may not be able to travel on the date or flight they choose. Its guidance for passengers travelling without a carer includes being able to manage aircraft stairs if a port does not have a Disabled Person Lift. At Tennant Creek, the operator says Airnorth's ground handler has a wheelchair for boarding assistance.

When Airnorth flights are disrupted

Airnorth's conditions name bad weather among the reasons flights may be delayed or cancelled, and say flight times are not guaranteed. For a significant change caused by events beyond its control, Airnorth says it will use reasonable endeavours to rebook passengers on the next available flight on its services, or refund the fare if it cannot rebook them on services acceptable to them. It says it will not be responsible for other costs from the delay or cancellation unless applicable laws, such as the Australian Consumer Law, require it.

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

Alcohol rules in Tennant Creek

The Northern Territory Government's page on where you can drink in public lists the township of Tennant Creek among its prohibited public places.

The town of Tennant Creek

The airport's own visitor page calls Tennant Creek the Territory's "heart of gold", for the friendliness of its people and the area's gold mining history. Tourism and Events NT says the Battery Hill Gold Mining & Heritage Centre is situated at the site of the historic No. 3 Government Gold Stamp Battery, a key landmark of the 1930s gold rush.

Before the gold rush, the airport's visitor page says, the town's first European residents were workers on the Overland Telegraph Line. The Northern Territory Government says the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station was built using stone quarried from a site nearby, and that to access the station you need to collect the key from the Battery Hill Mining Centre.

The visitor page says the traditional land owners of the area are the Warumungu people, who recognise a number of sacred sites in the area, including the Devils Marbles, about 100 kilometres south of the town. Tourism and Events NT describes Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre, on Warumungu land on the main street of Tennant Creek, as an art centre, gallery and culture museum.

Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve

The Northern Territory Government's Karlu Karlu page puts the reserve 100 kilometres south of Tennant Creek, off the Stuart Highway. It says Karlu Karlu translates to "round boulders", a name shared by the traditional owners of the area, and that the traditional owners ask that the karlu (marbles) are not climbed.

On 27 October 2008, ownership of the reserve was officially given back to its traditional owners, and the Northern Territory Government says it is now jointly managed with the traditional owners and Parks and Wildlife rangers. In August 2026, Karlu Karlu was recognised as a Dark Sky Sanctuary by DarkSky International. The Northern Territory Government's release on the Dark Sky designation, of 25 August 2026, says the reserve is significant to the Kaytetye, Warumungu, Warlpiri and Alyawarra Traditional Owners.

Visiting Karlu Karlu

The Northern Territory Government says the best time to visit is during the cooler months from April to September, and that temperatures across the Northern Territory can be very hot between October and April, and can exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The reserve requires visitors to the Northern Territory (NT) to have an NT Parks Visitor Pass. Camping has to be booked and paid for online before you go, and you can't pay at the site.

The page lists information signs, public toilets, picnic tables, camping, caravan sites and walking tracks at the reserve. Visitors are asked to stay on designated roads and tracks, drones and generators are not permitted, and fires are allowed in designated fire pits only. Pets are permitted in the day-use car park on a lead, and not in the campground.

Questions about Tennant Creek Airport

Which airline flies from Tennant Creek Airport?

This site's schedule data records Airnorth, flying direct from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs, Darwin and Katherine.

Who runs Tennant Creek Airport?

Airservices Australia's aerodrome entry of 3 September 2026 names Tennant Creek Airport Pty Ltd as the aerodrome operator, and Airport Development Group says it owns and operates the airport.

How far is Tennant Creek Airport from the town centre?

The operator puts the airport about 1 kilometre from the town centre. It lists Tennant Creek Taxi Service and Thrifty car rental, both with addresses on Patterson Street.

When is the terminal at Tennant Creek Airport open?

The operator says the terminal is open during flight operations.

How early should I check in for an Airnorth flight at Tennant Creek Airport?

Airnorth's conditions say domestic passengers should complete check-in at least 60 minutes and no later than 30 minutes before departure. Web check-in opens 24 hours before departure, but bags to check go to an Airnorth counter.

How far is Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles from Tennant Creek?

The Northern Territory Government puts the Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve 100 kilometres south of Tennant Creek, off the Stuart Highway. It says visitors to the Northern Territory need an NT Parks Visitor Pass for the reserve.

What does the Northern Territory Government say about drinking in public in Tennant Creek?

The Northern Territory Government's public drinking page lists the township of Tennant Creek among its prohibited public places.

Does Tennant Creek observe daylight saving?

No. Tennant Creek is in the Northern Territory, and the Northern Territory does not observe daylight saving.