[4] On 20 April 1954, Soviet spy Evdokia Petrova defected at Darwin Airport while she was being escorted out of Australia by KGB agents.

However the introduction of longer range aircraft in the 1970s meant that many airlines did not need to stop over in Darwin, and chose to cease services.

[10] Darwin Airport was extensively used to assist UN operations in East Timor from 1999, and to support medical evacuations following the 2002 Bali bombings.

Expansion of the low-cost carrier business model in the Australian market during 2007–08 saw both Jetstar and Tiger Airways Australia express interest in developing Darwin Airport as a hub.

[12] Singapore-based Tiger maintained a route between Changi Airport and Darwin until 2008, with its Australian subsidiary operating domestically to Melbourne (and later Brisbane).

The $85 million expansion increased the floor area from 16,000 to 27,000 square metres (172,223 to 290,626 sq ft) to double the capacity of the airport at peak periods.

[citation needed] Normally routing from London to Sydney via Singapore on an Airbus A380, flights QF1 and QF2 instead made a technical stop in Darwin due to air travel restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Northern Territory's own border restrictions forced passengers to remain on-board during refuelling in Darwin, before an onward journey to either London or Sydney.

In October 2021, Qantas confirmed that it would operate its flagship direct route from Australia to London via Darwin, with the Northern Territory city in place of their Perth hub until June 2022.

[25] Darwin Airport offers scheduled flights to regional destinations in the Northern Territory, domestically throughout Australia and in Southeast Asia.

Regional airline Airnorth has its head office and maintenance facilities on the airport property[27] and Bristow Helicopters also maintain a base of operations to supporting the resources industry.