The airfield became a centre of activity for refuelling military aircraft during World War II and continued to be used as a base by civilian operators including Airlines of Australia and Australian National Airlines. Little evidence remains of the airfield’s wartime use although the footprints of the early runways have been incorporated into its recent development as a major international and domestic airport.

Cairns airfield goes back to 1928 when a local pilot, Tom McDonald, started operating his Gypsy Moth aircraft from a salt pan near the present airport. McDonald surfaced the strip with coal-ash, but he could only take of and land between high tides. By 1936 Cairns City Council had established an aerodrome near McDonald’s original strip and work on upgrading the runways was carried out by the Main Roads Commission during the last months of 1940 ahead of the wet season.