Adelaide Airport Parking

Guide to Adelaide Airport

Adelaide Airport (ADL) is the main airport in Adelaide and the fifth-busiest airport in Australia. Serving just over eight million passengers a year, ADL is situated adjacent to West Beach. It is 3.7 miles (six kilometres) west of the city centre. In 2006, Adelaide Airport was named the world’s second-best international airport by Airports Council International and in 2006, 2009 and 2011, it was dubbed Australia’s best capital city airport.

Location of Adelaide Airport

Located close to West Beach in Adelaide, ADL is just 3.7 miles (six kilometres) west of the city centre. It is a short distance from a range of local amenities and attractions and is well-connected to them by various modes of transport.

The Adelaide Metro offers a regular express double decker bus service and a convenient JetBus service from the airport to the city and the latter also stops at Glenelg and West Beach; both are Metroticket services. There is also a designated taxi rank located at the left of the pedestrian plaza outside the terminal and concierges are on hand to allocate taxis to passengers.

History of Adelaide Airport

The first Adelaide Airport was an aerodrome constructed in 1921 and it was used to provide a mail service between Adelaide and Sydney. To meet the substantial growth in aviation, Adelaide Airport was selected as the location for the city’s main airport in January 1946. Construction began and flights commenced in 1954 and international services became regular from 1982 following the opening of an international terminal.

Which terminal?

Despite being the fifth-busiest airport in Australia with over eight million passengers a year, ADL only has one functioning terminal. The terminal was opened in 2005 by Prime Minister John Howard and is capable of handling 27 aircraft and 3,000 passengers per hour.

The airlines currently offering public flights to and from Adelaide Airport can be found on the Adelaide Airport website.

ADL is a large airport that services millions of passengers each year and, as such, it provides the full range of facilities expected and desired by travellers. Adelaide Airport offers baggage storage lockers, currency exchange and banking facilities, Internet access and postal services, among many other useful services that will make your journey run smoothly.

• Smoking areas

• Prayer room

• Postal services

• Pet collection

• Pharmacy

• Free WiFi

• Family facilities

  • Nursery

  • Toys/books

• Currency exchange

• ATM machines

• Visitor information booth

• Terminal car park

• Long-term car park

• Drop-off zone

• Toilets

• Disabled access

• Baby-changing facilities

• Shopping

  • Duty free

  • Convenience stores

  • Newsagents

  • Designer brands

  • Souvenirs

• Food

  • Restaurants

  • Cafés

  • Chocolate shops

• Drinks

  • Bars

  • Alehouses

  • Coffee shops

There are plenty of budget and luxury hotels located a short distance from Adelaide Airport. The closest hotels to ADL are Adelaide Airport Motel, which is just 1.1 miles (1.7 kilometres) away, Morphettville Motor Inn, which is 1.9 miles (three kilometres away) and Comfort Inn Anzac Highway, which is 2.1 miles (3.3 kilometres) away.

The Adelaide Airport Motel provides a convenient park and fly service that allows you to leave your vehicle on-site for the duration of your holiday. This can be booked in advance online. The hotel also provides a shuttle bus to the airport for a small fee and boasts a fully licensed restaurant, room service and on-site laundry services.

Morphettville Inn also provides free parking for the duration of your stay, but there is a charge if you’d like to leave your car there while you are away. For an extra touch of luxury, this hotel also boasts airport transfers, LCD televisions, free WiFi and air-conditioning.

The Comfort Inn Anzac Highway does not offer a park and fly service, but it does provide free parking for guests for the duration of their stay, as well as access to a pool and on-site restaurant.

Other nearby hotels such as Oaks Plaza Pier and Intercontinental Adelaide offer park and fly packages, so you are not short of options for quality accommodation with convenient parking close to Adelaide Airport.

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Top things to do in Adelaide Airport

Hear the sounds of Adelaide

Adelaide Airport is partnered with Music SA, an Adelaide-based organisation that nurtures careers in the contemporary music industry and delivers cultural and economic benefits to artists, residents, businesses, visitors and global audiences.

As part of this partnership, Adelaide Airport plays host to weekly musical performances entitled ‘Music at the Airport’. These performances aim to showcase the talents of South Australian musicians to the world and take place in the Centre Concourse on level 2. Performance schedules can be found on the airport’s website.

Hit the play area with the kids

Adelaide Airport has an on-site children’s play area and nursery for kids to enjoy while they travel. Adults can relax with a coffee while keeping an eye on the little ones as they play at this handy facility, which is located directly alongside Hudson’s Coffee on level 2. It is a secure facility equipped with a childproof gate for safety, so there’s every reason to go there.

Take away a slice of Australia

Adelaide Airport contains a great range of shops, from duty free to designer brands and everything in between. Like other large Australian airports, ADL features many recognisable high-street retailers alongside a wide selection of Australian souvenir specialists. Australian Way, located on level 2, stocks jewellery, apparel, Aboriginal arts and crafts, Australian-made chocolates, toys and ornaments fit for gifts and mementoes of your visit.

Sling another sausage on the barbie

Barbecues are something of a rite of passage for anyone visiting Australia; luckily, you can sample flame-grilled delicacies without leaving the ADL terminal. The Thomas Cooper Bar serves up the flavours of the great Aussie BBQ throughout the day, but there are other eateries available if you can't stomach a kangaroo burger.

You can grab a decadent white hot chocolate, a slice of fudge cake or freshly cooked waffles at the airport’s Cocolat dessert shop or enjoy a burger and a beer at one of the airport's various pubs.

Make the most of the free WiFi

Adelaide Airport provides free internet access throughout the terminal. Simply look in your wireless network settings or scan for wireless networks and select 'Adelaide Airport', open your web browser and the login page should appear. If not, when you navigate to a website, you’ll be automatically redirected to the login page. Enter your login details and you can surf the web, update your social media or tend to any pressing work emails before you fly.

Visit Glenelg Beach

Glenelg is a popular beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide and its beach is located just 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport. The beach has become a popular tourist destination due to its beautiful scenery and many attractions, including hotels, shops, a free museum and a wealth of restaurants. Glenelg is the oldest settlement on mainland South Australia and can be reached by bus or via the free city tram, which runs from Moseley Square.

Pick up a bargain down at the market

Established in 1869, the Adelaide Central Market has been a thriving hub of food and culture for over 100 years. Located just four miles (6.4 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport, the market is home to over 80 traders under one roof and is one of the largest under-cover markets in the Southern Hemisphere, buzzing with life and colour all-year-round.

Take your pick from a huge range of fresh food including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, cheeses, baked goods and health foods. With over 8.5 million visitors every year, the Adelaide Central Market remains the food Mecca for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce.

Take a flight…without a plane!

Coastal Skydive is an award-winning organisation that offers South Australia’s only beach landing skydiving experience, as well as the largest, most modern specialist skydiving aircraft. Located 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport, Coastal Skydive seeks to provide customers with the best skydiving experience in Adelaide in a fun and exciting but safe and professional manner, with a team of dedicated, experienced staff offering expert training to beginners looking for an Australian adrenaline rush.

Go on a Mega Adventure

Located 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport, the Mega Adventure Park offers visitors to Adelaide the chance to soak up spectacular views of the city from the SkyWalk, take a leap of faith from the ParaJump or explore the clouds on the aerial SkyMate. You can even launch yourself 26 feet (eight metres) into the air while performing flips and turns on the MegaBounce at this activity-packed theme park for all the family.

Sail into the sunset

Temptation Sailing is a cruise company that operates from the Marina Pier just 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport. You can choose from a range of cruises aboard The Temptation, a beautiful passenger charter vessel and the first vessel in South Australia to be given a licence to swim with and study dolphins. Whether you've got a day, an afternoon or an evening to spare, a cruise from Marina Pier is a great way to witness Australia's marine wildlife and make your time in Adelaide unforgettable.

Visit a pristine Aussie wilderness

Kangaroo Island is the third-largest island off the coast of mainland Australia and Kangaroo Island Adventure Tours is a company run by professional local guides who know more about the island and its wildlife than anyone else.

You can reach the island by taking a 30-minute flight from ADL to Kingscote Airport and, on one of the tours, you'll have the chance to see seals, pelicans, koalas and more, as well as eat delicious meals prepared using fresh produce from the island itself.

Explore Adelaide’s History

Formerly a prison, Adelaide Gaol is now an educational museum, a major tourist attraction and a valuable part of South Australia’s heritage. Built in 1841, the prison housed approximately 300,000 prisoners during its 147 years of operation. It was closed in 1988 and is said to be the longest continuously operating prison in Australia.

One of the two oldest remaining public buildings in South Australia, Adelaide Gaol is located just 3.7 miles (5.9 kilometres) from Adelaide Airport and offers ghost tours, twilight tours, paranormal investigations and historical tours.

Try your hand at golf

Who doesn't love mini golf? If you fancy a game while you're waiting for your flight, you can make the short trip from ADL (just 1.4 miles/2.2 kilometres) to West Beach Mini Golf.

This crazy golf course is entertaining for kids and adults alike and features a snack stand that serves hot and cold drinks, hot dogs, ice creams and light snacks.

Car

Adelaide Airport is located on the eastern shores of Gulf St Vincent, some 3.7 miles (6 kilometres) west of the Central Business District (CBD) of the City of Adelaide, on Sir Richmond William Avenue. You can navigate there via the post code SA 5950.

If you're travelling by car to Adelaide Airport and you are coming from the west, you will need to travel on the A20 until you reach Adelaide and then follow signs for Adelaide Airport.

If you are coming from the south, you should follow the M1 or M2 northbound until you hit signs for the airport on your arrival into Adelaide.

Travellers driving from the north can follow the A1 along the coast or the A32 or A20 if coming from inland before merging onto the M20 once nearing Adelaide. Signs for Adelaide Airport should become visible from there.

Buses and coaches

Airport City Shuttle offers a door-to-door service from Adelaide Airport to Adelaide hotels and businesses, with discounts available for group bookings. While passengers do not need to book shuttle bus travel in advance, it is advisable that, upon arrival at the airport, travellers make their way to the Information and Tourism Bookings Booth located on the ground floor of the terminal in a central location. The friendly staff at the booth will help with booking shuttle bus journeys and offer information about scheduled departures and arrivals.

Shuttle buses arrive at ADL approximately every half an hour. The City Shuttle Bus operating hours are between 8am and 9pm Monday to Friday, between 8am and 6pm on Saturdays and between 8am and 5pm on Sundays.

Taxi

There is a designated taxi rank to the left of the pedestrian plaza outside of the terminal building, where you can find taxis with baby capsules, wheelchair access, five-seaters and maxi taxis for larger groups or station wagons for large amounts of baggage. There is a levy added to fares for taxis leaving the airport.

Bicycle

ADL has bicycle facilities at the southern end of the old International Terminal Building, roughly 295 feet (90 metres) from the northern exit of the terminal. This facility includes bicycle service stations and free and secure bicycle parking facilities. This facility is secured each evening at 11pm and re-opened at 4am. The best routes for travelling by bicycle can be found online at www.maps.sa.gov.au/cycleinstead.

Print a map of the airport

Though Adelaide Airport is a relatively small one, there have been customer complaints about poor signposting on-site. If you're worried about being able to find your departure gate or any of the airport's facilities, you can print out a map of the grounds or the terminal here.

Prepare for Australian weather

If you are being dropped off or picked up at Adelaide Airport, it is advisable to check the weather forecasts for the date of your arrival and departure to prepare accordingly. The space between the drop-off zone and the terminal building is uncovered, aside from a small and impractical tilted canopy, which offers little respite from the elements.

Spruce up your luggage

Unfortunately, there is only one baggage carousel in use for all international flights at Adelaide Airport. Therefore, it is a good idea to make sure your suitcase stands out from the crowd. If multiple long-haul flights arrive simultaneously, be prepared for baggage carousel carnage – you’ll need to make sure yours can be spotted and retrieved quickly.