Minister calls in airport
Auckland Airport officials have been called to a meeting with the transport minister to explain its deteriorating runway.
The Ministry of Transport has also sought submissions from the aviation industry after the airport abruptly closed its runway twice in recent weeks for unplanned maintenance, resulting in widespread travel disruptions.
Sources say images of the damaged runway have been circulating and it is understood photos of a damaged concrete slab were shown at an emergency response meeting the airport held with airlines shortly before the second unscheduled closure.
The state of the runway also prompted an international pilots association to issue an advisory to pilots last week, warning of foreign debris risks when landing at Auckland Airport after it received reports of pieces of broken concrete up to 30cm by 30cm and 12cm thick being on the runway.
The Minister of Transport Phil Twyford said, as a matter of transport safety, the Government was keeping a close eye on the situation with the runway. ‘‘Auckland Airport offered to keep me briefed on this. I have asked them to come in and give me an update.’’
On February 6, Waitangi Day, the airport was forced to shut the runway for 45 minutes for unscheduled maintenance, resulting in eight international flights being diverted and 17 domestic flights being cancelled.
On January 24, the airport shut the runway for 40 minutes to clear debris, causing multiple aircraft diversions including a Singapore Airlines A380 having to land at Ohakea military air base in Manawatu¯ .
Following the Waitangi Day closure, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations issued a global advisory warning pilots of an increased risk of foreign object debris damage on the runway and said pilots should always carry an alternate for Auckland or, alternatively, consider carrying a minimum of 20 minutes extra holding fuel for arrival at Auckland.
The NZ Airline Pilots Association (NZALPA) said urgent action was needed, including possible Government intervention, to ensure public safety.
NZALPA president Andrew Ridling said aircraft landed at speeds of 300 kilometres an hour and landing gear hitting a chunk of concrete could result in ‘‘the worst outcome possible’’.
‘‘A set of wheels hitting something like that on the tarmac would be like a bullet,’’ Ridling said. ‘‘We just don’t take risks like that in aviation.’’ The airport needed to acknowledge there was a problem, he said. It also needed to be more transparent around what the problem was and a review it said it was conducting, Ridling said.
‘‘We have got to acknowledge there is a problem. We have got to get our head out of the sand. Then we can get on with fixing the problem. We can do that as an industry, as a country, as a business.’’
An Auckland Airport spokesman said its runway had been closed for maintenance outside planned closure windows on two occasions since the start of the year.
Since the start of 2018, there had been four runway closures of more than 15 minutes due to runway maintenance, with an impact on scheduled flights.
However, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ), which advocates for Australasian airlines including Air NZ, Qantas and Virgin Australia, said that since July there had been seven unplanned closures of the runway.
Minister of Infrastructure Shane Jones said Auckland Airport, which operated as a monopoly, had failed to look after its main asset.
‘‘Auckland Airport offered to keep me briefed on this. I have asked them to come in and give me an update.’’
Phil Twyford Minister of Transport