Tauranga Airport
Encyclopedia
Tauranga Airport is a regional airport 2NM
to the north east of Tauranga
city in the Bay of Plenty
on the North Island
of New Zealand
.
Scheduled flights are operated by Eagle Airways
and Air Nelson
, divisions of Air New Zealand
, using Raytheon
Beechcraft 1900
D and De Havilland Dash 8 Q-300 aircraft respectively.
Tauranga airport is the fifth busiest airport in New Zealand in terms of aircraft movements, with 86,935 movements during 2010. This places it just behind Hamilton airport.http://www.airways.co.nz/documents/avimove_stats.pdf
A number of small charter and training operations are also based here along with maintenance providers, Tauranga Aero Club and Bayflight Aviation. The popular Classic Flyers Museum and cafe is also based at the Airport. There are also small Tandem skydiving
and Gliding
operations based here.
Tauranga Airport is the current location for the Sportavex
biennial fly-in and airshow.
Tauranga Airport received its first commercial service in 1946, having previously been used as a training station for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 1967, construction began on a 1,280 metre runway, a control tower, and a passenger terminal, completed the following year. The airport is owned by the Tauranga City Council.
The airport was recently refurbished and a meeting room and Koru Club
regional lounge installed above the departure lounge.
Because of the intensive growth of the Tauranga region, the airport has now been hemmed in by residential and industrial development. Although the airport can easily cater for the occasional Boeing 737 charter service, air traffic controllers have to co-ordinate with Tauranga Port authority to insure the port's container crane's arms are lowered if arrivals are in a westerly direction due to that aircraft's lower approach vectors.
The airport is currently undergoing a expansion of the terminal. A new 830sqm extension of the terminal impacts on check in, baggage claim and baggage make up.
Recently a study into the feasibility of a new airport at Paengaroa was produced but Tauranga Airport is yet to reach full operational capacity.
Tauranga Airport is located within a Control Zone which is controlled by Tauranga Tower.
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
to the north east of Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
city in the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
on the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Scheduled flights are operated by Eagle Airways
Eagle Airways
Eagle Airways is a regional airline based in Hamilton, New Zealand with ten crew bases from Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands to Blenheim in the Marlborough region. It is wholly owned by Air New Zealand and operates regional services under the Air New Zealand Link brand...
and Air Nelson
Air Nelson
Air Nelson, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand is a regional airline based in Nelson, New Zealand. It operates services on provincial routes under the Air New Zealand Link brand. Its main base is Nelson Airport, with hubs at Auckland, Napier, New Plymouth, Wellington, Tauranga and Christchurch.The...
, divisions of Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
, using Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
Beechcraft 1900
Beechcraft 1900
The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...
D and De Havilland Dash 8 Q-300 aircraft respectively.
Tauranga airport is the fifth busiest airport in New Zealand in terms of aircraft movements, with 86,935 movements during 2010. This places it just behind Hamilton airport.http://www.airways.co.nz/documents/avimove_stats.pdf
A number of small charter and training operations are also based here along with maintenance providers, Tauranga Aero Club and Bayflight Aviation. The popular Classic Flyers Museum and cafe is also based at the Airport. There are also small Tandem skydiving
Tandem skydiving
Tandem skydiving or tandem parachuting refers to a type of skydiving where a student skydiver is connected via a harness to a tandem instructor. The instructor guides the student through the whole jump from exit through freefall, piloting the canopy, and landing. The student needs only minimal...
and Gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
operations based here.
Tauranga Airport is the current location for the Sportavex
Sportavex
SportAvex is a contraction of Sport Aviation Exposition. It is the annual fly-in and airshow organised by the Sport Aircraft Association New Zealand Incorporated ....
biennial fly-in and airshow.
History
Tauranga Airport was acquired by the NZ Government from the traditional Maori land owners during World War 2 for defensive purposes. However, the Government failed to return it to them at the conclusion of the war, as it had also done in Raglan. The site provided an important link to burial grounds. Ownership has being contested by the traditional owners with the Waitangi Tribunal.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/maori/news/article.cfm?c_id=252&objectid=10414888Tauranga Airport received its first commercial service in 1946, having previously been used as a training station for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 1967, construction began on a 1,280 metre runway, a control tower, and a passenger terminal, completed the following year. The airport is owned by the Tauranga City Council.
The airport was recently refurbished and a meeting room and Koru Club
Koru Club
thumb|right|Air New Zealand Koru Lounge in Christchurch.The Koru Lounge is the name for Air New Zealand's network of domestic airline lounges in New Zealand...
regional lounge installed above the departure lounge.
Because of the intensive growth of the Tauranga region, the airport has now been hemmed in by residential and industrial development. Although the airport can easily cater for the occasional Boeing 737 charter service, air traffic controllers have to co-ordinate with Tauranga Port authority to insure the port's container crane's arms are lowered if arrivals are in a westerly direction due to that aircraft's lower approach vectors.
The airport is currently undergoing a expansion of the terminal. A new 830sqm extension of the terminal impacts on check in, baggage claim and baggage make up.
Recently a study into the feasibility of a new airport at Paengaroa was produced but Tauranga Airport is yet to reach full operational capacity.
Facilities
Taxi stand, Rental car offices, Cafe, Internet access, Public telephones, Toilets, Baby change, Wheelchair access, Baggage carousel and Koru Lounge.Airlines and destinations
Operational information
- Airfield elevation is 13 ft AMSL
- Runway 07/25, 1825 x 45 metres sealed
- Runway 07/25, 1000 x 60 metres grass, currently only 700m as per NOTAM
- Runway 04/22, 640 x 60 metres grass
- Runway 16/34, 700 x 45 metres grass
- Runway lighting available on runway 07/25 seal
- Pavement Strength PCN 35
- Circuit: RWY 04/07/34 - right hand RWY 16/22/25 - left hand
- Circuit Height: 1000 ft AMSL
Tauranga Airport is located within a Control Zone which is controlled by Tauranga Tower.
Sources
- NZAIP Volume 4 AD
- Air New Zealand http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz
- Sunair http://www.sunair.co.nz