Talk:Shellharbour Airport

Airport Name
Someone from Australia may be able to identify the proper name: Wollongong Airport or Illawarra Regional Airport?Gittinsj 09:06, 3 March 2007 (UTC)Gittinsj
 * I had hoped to do this but the web site is down, and has been for quite a while. Google doesn't even have a cache of it.  Jpp42 11:21, 24 June 2007 (UTC)
 * It's known as Woolongong Airport, but is also known as Illawarra Regional Airport, similar to Sydney Intl being aka Kingsford Smith Intl. — Preceding unsigned comment added by MEBpilot (talk • contribs) 09:47, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Offical name
It seems to me that a single purpose account is pushing their own point of view while ignoring the facts that state "Illawarra Regional Airport", while they try to use sources out of context to suit them. I have zero POV on the matter but refer to what the operator officially uses, along with media and another other Interestingly Geographical Names Board of New South Wales has the airport as Albion Park Aerodrome, though no one ever uses that name, while the owner/operator (Shellharbour City Council) of the airport uses Illawarra Regional Airport with one mention of "Wollongong Aerodrome", Essendon Fields Airport, Australian Govnement site MySkills, Transport NSW, Airservices Australia and even the the local bus company (Premier Illawarra) uses the name "Illawarra Regional Airport". Looking at an destination board at a airport or booking on a flight (airline or travel agency) will never list the airport but the city they fly to. Looking at the media, Australia Aviation, Illawarra Mercury, Wave FM, South Coast Register, ABC News, The Daily Telegraph all use "Illawarra Regional Airport" and as does HARS.

I've struggled to find the use of "Wollongong Airport", only one from what is a reliable source [e.g. Bureau of Meteorology and the others from sources that have questionable reliability (e.g. Skyvector. Therefore Illawarra Regional Airport is the most common name as per WP:COMMONNAME. Bidgee (talk) 09:57, 25 March 2018 (UTC)

Contrary to the above comment, the name Wollongong is the only name used by Airservices Australia for its En Route Supplement (effective 01 March 2018) which is used by the article as the basis for all its technical information. The is no reference to Illawarra whatsoever. The above contributer is being disingenuous when they say they have struggled to find reference to the usage Wollongong.Ywol (talk) 20:36, 25 March 2018 (UTC)

Correct common name for Illawarra/Wollongong Airport
There has been a lot of discussion and some very opinion based editing around this topic. The contributer above attempts to discredit my contribution asserting that I am a single purpose contributer. As per the guidance around this "many single-purpose accounts turn out to be well-intentioned editors with a niche interest".

I am interested in deepening the information base around the airport, for example by compiling and publishing the monthly traffic statistics. This article is rated stub-class because it is so outdated and has so little contemporary information on it. The contributer above has deleted entire sections that I have contributed including the monthly traffic statistics, information about the new airline services and passenger terminal facilities, and most other contemporary updates. I will not be discredited by the contributer above who seems to have a strong POV on the matter and has been pushing this particular rather narrow view for a decade and won't be shifted from it, no matter what the hard evidence says. I propose to move the article on from stub status whether Bidgee likes it or not.

So, for example, unlike the contributor above I don't believe that any of Air Services Australia, HARS (the largest entity on the airport), or NSW Air (the main charter operator and flight school at the airport), is an "unreliable source". Neither is the entire Australian and global aviation community. To suggest that CH-Aviation, the world leading source of aviation data and news, is one of the "sources that have questionable reliability" is laughable. I have compiled a list of references that throw some light into the discussion. Hopefully this will result in improvements to the page which are fact based. The contributer above simply dismisses these as being "out of context" without citing any evidence or illustration. That's simply lazy and, in my view, very poor form.

The existing wiki entry has correctly identified that the owner/operator of the airport calls it Illawarra Regional Airport. Media reports also often use this name. That "Illawarra Regional Airport" is a relevant name is not in dispute. What has to be resolved is whether "Wollongong Airport" is also common usage, and whether it is really appropriate to edit out any reference to the use of that name.

So let's look at usage of the name Wollongong Airport. Airservices Australia, for its En Route Supplement effective 01 March 2018 which is used by the article as the basis for all its technical information, uses Wollongong exclusively. The is no reference to Illawarra whatsoever.

The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), the largest entity to use the airport describes its location as: "HARS – the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society is an all volunteer group of Aviation Professionals and Enthusiasts who have premises at Wollongong Airport (YWOL), Albion Park just over an hour by road South of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia."

Another airport business is Sydney Microlight Centre which describes its location as "Wollongong Regional Airport" while Touchdown Helicopters uses both names: "Based at Wollongong's Illawarra Regional Airport" To illustrate the lack of clear consensus over the Airport's common name, the largest charter and air training operator at the airport names the location as: "Albion Park Regional Airport in the Illawarra 20 minutes south of Wollongong". Despite comments by the contributer above that ""no-one ever uses that name", this happens to be consistent with the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales which has the airport as Albion Park Aerodrome. The official website of the airport and the aviation regulator both use the term "Wollongong Aerodrome" as the official name for the airfield. The general media for travel reporting often uses the term Wollongong "with domestic airline, Jetgo Australia, recently launching direct flights from Wollongong". Here is an example where the ABC references Wollongong Airport; "One of the pilots on the aircraft's final flight pokes his head out of the cockpit hatch after landing at Wollongong Airport".

At an official level, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has its weather station located at: "Station Details ID: 068241 Name: WOLLONGONG AIRPORT Lat: -34.56 Lon: 150.79 Height: 8.0m". The nearest radio navigation aid for pilots is the Wollongong Non-Directional Beacon installation located within the airport boundary.

All airline flights use the name Wollongong as their flight destination, and the information boards at other airports will always display the name Wollongong. This is important, as it is this usage that will commonly be seen outside of the Illawarra Region.

In a general community sense in the Illawarra region, the names Wollongong Airport, Albion Park Airport and Illawarra Regional Airport are used interchangeably. For example the large community facebook page is named WollongongAirport, uses the term Wollongong Illawarra Regional Airport as a long name and Wollongong Airport for short.

Outside of the Illawarra, the airport is widely known by several specific groups. Commercial and private pilots (and CASA) who use the terminology "Wollongong Airport", "Wollongong", "WOL" or "YWOL". For example NSW Air in its description of endorsements for pilots writes: "Wollongong Airport is within 30 miles of an ILS (NOWRA) which is a great location as it gives Student exposure to Class C airspace and operations within a Military Control Zone". Airline passengers will always see the term "Wollongong" as a destination on information boards when flying to the airport from other airports.

Even looking below the surface of the airport wiki page (places where the contributer above has not been able to easily edit out the references), recognition of the airport as Wollongong pops up. The photo names on the page tell a very clear story: one is "image = HARS Apron, Wollongong, New South Wales.jpg" and another is "" both as being at Wollongong airport.

On a global scale, aviation and airport websites most commonly use the name Wollongong Airport. Global media news sources such as ch-aviation will often refer to Wollongong Airport rather than IRA: "Australia's JetGo chosen for Wollongong airport flights".

In summary there is a large body of documentation that clearly identifies the name "Wollongong Airport" as widely and commonly used, both officially and generally. While the name is not the official name used by the airport owner, it is widely used particularly when referring to or discussing the airport outside of the confines of the Illawarra region, and is perfectly acceptable usage here.Ywol (talk) 11:34, 25 March 2018 (UTC)

A contemporary example: "The Boeing 747-438 that made the historic London-Sydney non-stop flight, VH-OJA, City of Canberra, can be seen at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society located at Wollongong Airport at Albion Park, just over an hour's drive south of Sydney". 114.77.128.106 (talk) 12:33, 29 March 2018 (UTC)

Removal of "Wollongong Airport" as an alternative name
has removed the long established alternative WP:COMMONNAME Wollongong Airport from the lead of the article saying with no evidence that it is so. He has refused to start a discussion here and has been rather petulent in his interactions. I know the Google test has limitations but "Wollongong Airport" gets a result of over 122,000 hits more (but not outstandingly more) than the former Illawarra Regional Airport at 110,000 so any argument that "Wollongong airport is not a valid name that is used widely in the community at large appears to be someone's attempt to influence rather than reflect usage. Also https://wollongongairport.kom/ exits suggesting there is a certain currency in the name.

I believe the evidence here and the content of the article warrent the inclusion of the commonname in the lead. Probably in the format of my edited attempt at making grumpy Bidgee happy -- "...and also known as Woolongong Airport." Andrewgprout (talk) 04:59, 1 September 2019 (UTC)
 * First off Wollongong isn't Woolongong. Using Google to assume WP:COMMONNAME with figures is unwise (the fact it also captures Illawarra Regional Airport in the results), you need to look at reliable sources and very little reliable sources use Wollongong (it is like having a room of 4,900 people who call someone Rob but only 100 people use Bob, it doesn't mean that person is commonly known as both Rob and Bob). Also the unofficial "Wollongong Airport" site was setup by a Wollongong person who tried to use Wikipedia to help promote (spam) his site for "ad" revenue. You bad faith accusations have no place here on Wikipedia.


 * I'm not trying to influence at all, rather ensuring that Wikipedia states facts per WP:BURDEN, I would argue that Illawarra Regional Airport is still the common name over Shellharbour Airport (which is an official name). Bidgee (talk) 05:08, 1 September 2019 (UTC)


 * I find the continual removal of my good faith edits on your talk page, an act of bad faith on your part. I cannot accept you are editing here in good faith if you continue to do that. One rule for Bidgee another rule for everyone else. Remember "WP:DTTR isn't yet a policy" Andrewgprout (talk) 05:23, 1 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Only one here who is assuming bad faith is you. Bidgee (talk) 05:28, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

Puppies delivery. Today from Victoria
Just wondering if there are a flight from Victoria to shellharbour air port  Delivery of two puppies 1.40.125.74 (talk) 07:05, 9 July 2023 (UTC)