Hamilton International Airport, the fourth-largest airport in New Zealand, is located 13km away from Hamilton city. It was officially opened in October 1935 and is spread over 262ha. It is operated by Waikato Regional Airport.
The Government of New Zealand sold the airport to five shareholding councils in 1989. The councils are Hamilton city (50%), Waikato district (15.625%), Waipa district (15.625%), Matamata-Piako district (15.625%) and Otorohonga district (3.125%). The airlines operating flights from the airport are Pacific Blue, Cathay Pacific, V Australia, Sun Air and Air New Zealand.
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The airport handled 3.32 million passengers and recorded 123,000 aircraft movements in 2010. The majority of the traffic includes domestic passengers.
Hamilton International Airport expansions
The $2m phase one construction work to build a 1,300ft² aircraft paint facility at the airport began in April 2011 and is expected to be completed by August 2011. The project is a joint venture between IGS Group and the Aviation Industry Cluster. It will be completed in two phases, with the second phase expected to be completed by 2014. It will allow aircraft painting to be completed 65% faster.
The proposal to extend one of the runways (18L/36R) from 2,195m to 3,000m to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft was proposed in June 2009. The project has not been started due to the delay in planning permission approvals. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $22m, including $13m for stage one.
In March 2009, a 75ha strategic mixed-use industrial and commercial business development known as Titanium Park was approved by Waipa District Council.
The $100m project is a joint venture between McConnell Property and Hamilton International Airport. Titanium Park construction work began in the middle of 2009 and is expected to take ten years to complete.
Terminal features
Hamilton International Airport has a single passenger terminal with two floors. The ground floor features international arrivals, and domestic arrival and departure gates. It also has baggage carousels, check-in counters, duty-free stores and car rental offices. The first floor features international departure gates, airport administration offices, restrooms and restaurants. Wi-Fi access is available throughout the terminal. Hamilton Airport Motor Inn and Conference Centre, located near the terminal building, provides 61 apartment units in studio and executive type rooms with all amenities.
The domestic terminal at the airport was opened in 1995 and the international terminal on 27 September 1996.
Airways Corporation of New Zealand provides the air traffic control services to the airport. The airport also carries out general aviation (GA) activities. The main apron at the airport can accommodate up to five large aircraft.
A $15.3m terminal expansion, initiated at the airport in 2005, was completed in late 2007. The expansion included increasing 60% of the floor space of the terminal. It also included improvements to the baggage handling areas, international and domestic check-in space and passenger security screening systems.
Runways
The airport has one sealed runway and three grass runways. The first runway (18L/36R) is a sealed runway that is 2,195m long and paved with asphalt. The second runway (18R/36L) is 790m long and paved with asphalt and grass. The third runway (07L/25R) is 720m long. The fourth runway (07R/25L) is 715m long.
Car parking
Short and long-term car parking facilities are available at the airport. The car park is equipped with security cameras for round-the-clock monitoring.
Hamilton ground transportation
The airport is facilitated with numerous ground transport facilities. Car rental agencies such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty are located in the ground floor of the terminal. Taxis and shuttles can be found in front of the car park outside the terminal.
