Queenstown Airport - Further Upgrades

Further Upgrades

In July 2011 newly installed runway lights were turned on for the first time. Airport management expects the lighting upgrade to lower diversion incidents at the airport due to low visibility. Queenstown is the last major airport in New Zealand to receive such an upgrade. The 2 million dollar project included 34 transformers, 25 km of airfield lighting cable, 124 lights, and was funded by Airways NZ In June 2008, Queenstown Airport Corporation announced plans to install approach, runway and passenger area lighting. Currently Queenstown airport has only Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI) available for pilot aid, so flying is limited to daylight hours only. The installation of this additional equipment could see flights arriving as late as midnight, although proposed night flights are controversial within the local community. Announcements in June 2010 were made with plans to triple the size of the baggage area to handle the large increases in growth and the addition of the extra airlines that have started flying into Queenstown. Plans are also in place to increase the size of the international arrivals hall. In April 2012 Queenstown airport opened its new sealed runway on the former grass runway the cost of this project was $800,000 and took 10 months to complete. “In the past the runway had to be frequently closed due to adverse weather conditions such as after a heavy frost or heavy rain which could cause flooding,’ said Mr Steve Sanderson, Chief Executive Officer, Queenstown Airport. “Sealing the runway will greatly reduce the number of disruptions as well as further improve safety.”