Darwin

Various entities have provided aviation rescue and fire fighting services at Darwin Airport since the 1940s. Airservices has provided these services at the airport since 1995.

PFAS and fire fighting foam

PFAS stands for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which are manufactured chemicals used in products that resist heat, oil, stains and water. They have been widely used since the 1950s in common household products, as well as commercial industrial applications such as fire fighting foams.

Site investigations

Darwin Airport is a joint-user facility at which the Department of Defence is leading PFAS investigations. The findings of site investigations are available on the Department of Defence website.

The Department of Defence oversaw the transition to PFAS-free fire fighting foam at Darwin Airport since 2019.

Management and remediation

We manage legacy PFAS through our National PFAS Management Program to ensure the safety of our people and the communities and environment in which we operate.

At Darwin Airport, we installed an automated system at the main fire station that diverts wastewater and stormwater into the sewer infrastructure. We also installed a waste water treatment plant at the fire station training pad to remove PFAS from waste-water discharge.