Auckland International airport will invest NZ$1.8 billion ($1.3 billion) to fund expansion works over the next five years.
These include building a new domestic jet terminal, which will be joined to the existing international terminal, constructing three more gates to accommodate widebodies, upgrading the departure and arrival area of the international terminal, and improvements to public transport access.
The airport also plans to start construction on a second runway in the next decade, with a target to be operational in 2028. This would however be contingent on receiving the necessary regulatory approvals.
“In the 50 years since Auckland Airport opened, how New Zealanders travel and where we travel to has changed significantly. At the same time Auckland’s airport has evolved and grown from only several hundred thousand passengers in 1966 to over 18.7 million this year,” says Auckland airport's chief executive, Adrian Littlewood.
To fund the expansion works, the airport will adjust five-year charges for passenger, aircraft parking, and the use of check-in desks and bag drops in the international terminal from 1 July.
A runway land charge will also be introduced in fiscal 2021 to fund the construction of the second runway, if the project gets the go-ahead.
“Our five-year pricing and infrastructure plan announced today balances the needs of passengers, the airport community, the tourism industry, our investors and the airlines. Implementation of Auckland Airport’s 30-year vision is now well underway – providing thousands of jobs and driving economic growth. It will ensure that the airport continues to connect Auckland with New Zealand and New Zealand with the world,” adds Littlewood.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
