essendon fields airport , colloquially known as essendon airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. it is located next to the intersection of the tullamarine and calder freeways, in the north western suburb of essendon fields of melbourne, victoria, australia. the airport is the closest to melbourne's city centre, approximately a drive north-west from it and south-east from melbourne tullamarine airport. in 1970, tullamarine airport replaced essendon as melbourne's main airport.