It is located approximately 12 km east of the central business district.

Perth Airport was approved as a locality name on 25 June 1984.

[3] Part of the area east of Redcliffe was previously known as Newburn, a suburb that was established in 1950 and had been the site of Red Gum Forest, a small farming community from 1912.

There was also a small suburb called Dunreath in the area that was subdivided as Dunreath Estate in 1931, became a Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force training camp during World War II, and then became a hostel for post-war migrants from Mainland Europe known as "New Australians" or "Displaced persons".

[4][5] Perth Airport is home to a Bureau of Meteorology weather station.