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Nelson Airport (New Zealand)

Nelson Airport (Māori: Te Papa Waka Rererangi o Whakatū) is located 6 km south-west of central Nelson, New Zealand, in the suburb of Annesbrook. Approximately 1.2 million passengers and visitors use the airport terminal annually.[6] Passenger numbers for the 2017 financial year were 1,000,373,[7] up from 865,203 in 2016.[8]

It is the sixth-busiest airport in New Zealand by passenger numbers and seventh by aircraft movements, as well as being the busiest New Zealand airport without any scheduled international service. The airport has an Air New Zealand Koru Lounge.[9]

History

Construction of Nelson Airport commenced in 1937.[10] In 2006, the airport received restricted international airport status and it has handled international private jets since then. The airport averages 60 commercial flights per day. The Airport precinct is home to 35 aeronautical and support businesses.[11]

Nelson airport is the home base of Air Nelson operating under the Air NZ Link banner, which operates a fleet of 23 Bombardier Dash 8 Q300s on national air routes. Air New Zealand, Air Nelson's parent airline, recently expanded its Nelson base, investing 30 million dollars to develop the engineering and technical workshops. Air New Zealand then announced the Air Nelson maintenance facility would also handle fellow subsidiary Mount Cook Airline's fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft.[12]

The airport has a single terminal building with 9 tarmac gates. A further 7 remote gates are located adjacent to the terminal.

In 2014, Nelson City Council deemed the main terminal of Nelson Airport an earthquake risk and at fault of possible liquefaction. The airport has been granted 10 years to upgrade the terminal to meet current building standards.[13] The Nelson Airport management on 8 September 2015 have decided to rebuild the terminal instead of renovating the existing complex as this will best meet the growth needs in the future. It was also announced that due to increased airline activity strong passenger growth could be expected over the next two years. It is estimated that by the end of 2017 there could be more than 1 million passengers per annum and over 300 flights per week at the airport.[14]

Jetstar Airways commenced daily services between Nelson and Auckland on 1 December 2015,[15] as well as Nelson to Wellington on 1 February 2016.[16] These services ended at the end of November 2019.[17]

On 6 December 2017, the airport inaugurated 270 new parking spaces and new exit barrier arms (the latter located near Air New Zealand's hangar on Trent Drive) in order to help with traffic flow during the development and expansion phase mentioned above.[18]

Nelson Airport propose to extend the main runway to the north by 150m stating that it's one of the shortest runways in the world for the type of aircraft serving the airport and the current runway restricts payload on flights.[19]

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

See also

External links

References

  1. Nelson Airport, official site^
  2. Charts for NZNS at AIP New Zealand^
  3. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF. Airport information for NZNS World Aero Data^
  4. {{GCM|NSN|NSN / NZNS|source=[http://www.aip.net.nz/ AIP], [http://www.caa.govt.nz/ CAA], [[DAFIF]]}}^
  5. Nelson Airport - Welcome to New Zealand's fourth busiest commercial airport retrieved 2011-09-30^
  6. Welcome to Nelson Airport retrieved 11 March 2007^
  7. Reports 2017 retrieved 29 September 2017^
  8. Nelson Airport experiences record growth after busiest year ever Stuff, 8 July 2016^
  9. Regional lounges - Air New Zealand Lounges - At the airport - Experience - Air New Zealand airnewzealand.co.nz^
  10. Nelson Aerodrome, Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 32, 8 February 1937, p. 7.^
  11. Nelson Airport company information retrieved 21 September 2015^
  12. Air Nelson to be given leeway over expansion The Nelson Mail, retrieved 27 October 2011^
  13. Airport has 10 years to upgrade terminal The Nelson Mail, 11 June 2014^
  14. New terminal confirmed for Nelson Airport Stuff, 8 September 2015, retrieved 21 September 2015^
  15. Jetstar touches down in Nelson a little late Nelson Airport, 2015-12-02, retrieved 2024-09-13^
  16. Jetstar expands regional NZ network with three new routes as passenger numbers soar in Nelson and Napier Jetstar, 1 February 2016, retrieved 14 September 2024^
  17. Jetstar pulls out of five regional routes The New Zealand Herald, 2019-09-25, retrieved 2024-09-13^
  18. New arms help Nelson airport visitors fly through car parking Stuff, 6 December 2017^
  19. Nelson Airport runway extension One News, retrieved 1 June 2022^
  20. {{OAGWorldAug2025Ref|title=Auckland, New Zealand AKL|pages=91-93}}^
  21. {{OAGWorldAug2025Ref|title=Christchurch, New Zealand CHC|pages=302-302}}^
  22. {{OAGWorldAug2025Ref|title=Wellington, New Zealand WLG|pages=1372-1373}}^
  23. http://www.goldenbayair.co.nz/heaphytrack.html Golden Bay Air - Heaphy Track^
  24. Flight Schedule Origin Air retrieved 6 December 2025^
  25. Steve L. 3rd Level New Zealand: Christmas Expansion Update 3rd Level New Zealand, 6 December 2025, retrieved 6 December 2025^
  26. Originair adds Nelson-Wellington route retrieved 16 January 2020^
  27. Steve L. 3rd Level New Zealand: Sounds Air announces yet another new service 15 May 2015^