Christchurch's gateway

Our airport gets a revamp

John McCombe

Renovations are taking off at Christchurch International Airport.

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As many people have already noticed, Christchurch International Airport is ungoing huge changes. Avenues looks at the reasons for the upgrade and what we are to expect once the dust settles.

Some major moolah is being injected into the Christchurch International Airport, with a metamorphosis on a scale not seen in half a century. Colleen Simpson finds out what's in store for frequent flyers.

Christchurch has always been a city that welcomes its visitors warmly, but once the airport's new terminal is complete, we'll be able to roll out the red carpet.

About $208 million is being spent on Christchurch International Airport's integrated terminal building, the biggest single infrastructure project of this size in the South Island since the old terminal was built 50 years ago.

On completion, the terminal will be home to a combined domestic and international check-in hall and bigger passenger lounges. It will house new international baggage claim and arrival halls, a new retail and bigger domestic baggage claim areas and, thankfully, much-improved eating and drinking options.

"When finished, this new terminal will set new standards for quality and efficiency, and will quickly advance the South Island's position as New Zealand's tourism gateway," Christchurch International Airport Limited (CIAL) chief executive, Jim Boult, says.

The ground on this ambitious project was broken in May, after a series of delays prevented it getting under way earlier. Despite the late start, the completion date has come forward by seven months, thanks to innovative building techniques.

Stage one of the project is to construct the new domestic and international check-in hall on the ground floor, with retail and dining precincts upstairs. This part of the new terminal will be up and running in about 18 months, in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The next stage will demolish the existing terminal and build the rest of the new one, a job expected to be completed in mid-2012.

From the exterior, it will be modern and impressive. The terminal will jut out towards the city, a design that mirrors that of an aircraft. While the flowerbeds have gone, there will be some green areas -  a nod to the Garden City.

Overall, the idea is to simplify life for travellers, using design and technology to improve their airport experience and increase the enjoyment of their time there.

The new terminal will further cement Christchurch's place on the international map by giving it a facility of the standard travellers expect from a main destination, airport officials say.

The future of the existing terminal was just that - terminal. It was simply too small, and too antiquated to cope with forecasted visitor numbers. In truth, the old building is no show-stopper either.

*Read more in the August issue of Avenues*