The airport in Mackay was opened in late 1931 and it is situated 4 km from central Mackay. Mackay Airport used grass landing strips until the 1940s, but during and following World War II the surface was upgraded from grass to unsealed gravel and was later both sealed and strengthened. The passenger terminal was built in 1953 and the airport is now under local/regional control. Mackay Airport is used by all 4 major airlines operating in Australia including Jetstar, Tiger, Virgin Blue and Qantas and has seen a steady growth even after the collapse of Ansett and Flight West in 2001. The airport is currently operated by a private consortium after the local port authority sold the airport in 2008.