$120m project adds gate capacity
A new $120 million Auckland International Airport development has reduced the need to ferry passengers on buses across the tarmac.
The 190-metre-long, 12,240-squaremetre expansion of ‘‘Pier B’’ at the international terminal includes two new gate lounges – gates 17 and 18 – featuring four new aircraft bridges.
The extra gate capacity has resulted in the number of passengers being bussed onto international flights dropping from 10 per cent last year to just 3 per cent.
But the need for buses on the tarmac would always exist, Auckland Airport retail and commercial general manager Richard Barker said.
‘‘Buses are part and parcel of global airport operations,’’ Barker said.
While bus use would be kept to a minimum they did serve a useful purpose, and some airlines preferred them to investing in infrastructure, he said.
The airport would aim to keep bus use to a minimum, he said.
The development means Pier B can be used by large aircraft such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 777-ER or future Boeing 777X as well as smaller aircraft simultaneously. It can accommodate up to four A380s or eight smaller aircraft.
Singapore Airlines and Emirates are the only two airlines to fly the doubledeck jumbo jets into Auckland.
Passenger movements are on the rise at Auckland Airport. It said in the past year it had secured eight new services.
In the past year total passenger numbers grew 5.7 per cent to 20.5 million, surpassing the 20 million passengers milestone for the first time.
The 1.1 million increase was driven by a 4.7 per cent rise in international passengers.
Investment research house Morningstar said it expected passenger growth and increased pricing to boost cashflow for the airport. Auckland Airport’s passenger movements had exceeded expectations, Morningstar said in a recent research note.
New Zealand continued to grow as a ‘‘top-notch destination’’ and Auckland Airport held a ‘‘monopoly position’’ in a ‘‘light-handed regulatory environment’’, it said.
The Pier B development is part of the airport’s ambitious 30-year vision, which involves upgrading the international terminal, merging the domestic terminal with the international terminal, building a second runway and developing rail infrastructure.
The airport is investing more than $1m every working day on aeronautical infrastructure and expects to spend about $2 billion in the next five years.
Auckland Airport’s general manager of airport development and delivery, Andre´ Lovatt, said the Pier B extension would leave travellers with a strong final impression of the airport and of New Zealand.
Gate 17 opened last year and Gate 18 has been operational since February. Gate 15 and 16 have also been refurbished.
Pier B was initially built in 2008 with four aircraft stands, two gate lounges and two airbridges.
The airport later added a bus lounge to transfer passengers between the international terminal and aircraft parked on the tarmac.
The international departure area upgrade, with a range of trendy new retail stores, was expected to be completed in early 2019, Lovatt said.