Airport shows it's in for long-haul

Just three days after announcing trans-Tasman flights were resuming, Hamilton International Airport is seeking planning approvals to extend its runway.

Expected to cost about $22 million, the extension would give the airport the ability to attract wide-bodied jet aircraft capable of long-haul flights.

Airport chief executive Chris Doak said this would include both airlines that flew here via Australia as well as those coming directly from Asia and using Hamilton as an alternative to Auckland.

He said there were also opportunities to attract cargo carriers that required a longer runway to handle fully-laden aircraft.

But Mr Doak said it was unlikely the runway extension would proceed in the near future as there was no business case for it yet and gaining planning permission was likely to take up to two years.

By lengthening the runway to almost 3000 metres, it would become the third longest in New Zealand after Auckland and Christchurch.

On Wednesday Pacific Blue announced it would be flying to Sydney and Brisbane from Hamilton International Airport starting in September, filling the trans-Tasman void left by the recent departure of Air New Zealand. Mr Doak said it was coincidence that both announcements were made in the same week.

If planning approvals were granted for the runway extension, the airport would be in a strong position to plan for future aviation opportunities.

Mr Doak said the airport had recently completed its 20-year master plan, providing the blueprint for the proposed runway extension.

It was likely the extension would be completed in two stages with stage one estimated to be about $13 million.

The proposed project would mean a longer, narrower noise boundary resulting in significant areas of land, and the houses on it, coming out of the current controlled area.

Information on the proposal was mailed yesterday to almost 1000 residents living in the proximity of the airport.

An open day to tell residents about the proposal would be held at the airport on Tuesday, June 16, from 2pm-8pm.

Mr Doak said an extended runwaywould allow the airport to break out of the limited airline market of narrow-bodied trans-Tasman aircraft.

"Realistically it could be several years before any development gets under way," he said.

"What will ultimately drive the development, if approved, will be both airline and shareholder commitments.

"The board considered it prudent to put the planning process in place now so it could quickly respond to airline interest when that was appropriate in the future," Mr Doak said.

A report from Waikato University estimated that the total economic impact of an extension to 2500 metres over 20 years would be in the vicinity of $1 billion, representing an increase in regional activity of $50 million per year.

- © Fairfax NZ News