Ayers Rock Airport is situated near Yulara, around 463 km away from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and 20 minutes drive from Uluru itself. An average of just under 300,000 passengers per year pass through this airport in the middle of Australia.HistoryConnellan Airport was originally started by Edward Connellan. He started an airline called "Connellan Airways" which specialised in transport, Royal Flying Doctor Service and mail runs. The planes that were used in this airline were usually "Butterflies" which were given to them from Qantas, Douglas DC3s, and a few other planes. The development of tourism infrastructure adjacent to the base of Uluru that began in the 1950s soon produced adverse environmental impacts. It was decided in the early 1970s to remove all accommodation-related tourist facilities and re-establish them outside the park. In 1975, a reservation of 104 km2 (40 sq mi) of land beyond the park's northern boundary, 15 km (9.3 mi) from Uluru, was approved for the development of a tourist facility and an associated airport, to be known as Yulara. The new facilities became fully operational in late 1984.On 6 August 2000, an Ansett Airbus A320-211, arrived from Auckland Airport, New Zealand, carrying the Sydney Olympic Torch for its inaugural Australian leg. From there, the torch was taken for a run around Uluru, followed by a formal reception.