Wellington International Airport

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Wellington International Airport serves New Zealand's capital city of Wellington, on the Rongotai isthmus.

It is a major domestic hub, as well as providing air links to the major cities of Australia.

History

Wellington Airport is notable in that its domestic terminal was built, as a temporary measure, inside a corrigated iron hangar and not replaced for many decades. The domesic terminal was known for being overcrowded. However, a major new domestic terminal was completed in 1999, and construction is under way to lengthen the south end of the 1936m runway by 90m in accordance with ICAO safety regulations, with scoping studies for a north end runway extension as of 2005.

The shortness of the runway and the low level of tourist traffic has limited Wellington Airport's overseas destinations to a small number of destinations in Australasia. A full-length runway extension (to accommodate long-haul aircraft such as the Boeing 747) has been investigated in the past, but would require highly expensive land reclamation, and doubts exist over the viability of such an undertaking (particularly as Air New Zealand has shown no interest in providing international services beyond Australia and the Pacific Islands). The international terminal - partially built by the now-defunct Ansett NZ in 1986 - will be upgraded between 2005 and 2007, in anticipation of the entry into service of the Boeing 787. The 787 can fly long-haul from a short runway like that at Wellington, opening up the possibilities of direct air links to Asia and the Americas.

Since 1998, the airport has been two-thirds privately owned by Infratil, with the remaining third owned by the Wellington City Council.

In late 2003, the airport was notable for installing a large statue of Gollum on the terminal, as part of a publicity stunt to promote the world premiere of .

Airlines and destinations

Wellington Airport

• air2there (Paraparaumu, Blenheim, Nelson)

• Air New Zealand (Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Nelson, Westport, Christchurch, Timaru, Queenstown, Dunedin, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne)

• Qantas (Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne)

• Pacific Blue (Brisbane)

• Origin Pacific (Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson, Blenheim, Christchurch)

• Sounds Air (Picton, Kaikoura)

• Air West Coast (Greymouth, Westport)

• Freedom Air (Gold Coast, Nadi)

External link

• [Wellington International Airport official site]

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