New Plymouth Airport, where is it heading?

In the next few years where will New Plymouth Airport be heading?

New Plymouth Youth In Politics has this month confirmed to infonews.co.nz that the airport will be getting a new terminal upgrade.

List of changes by 2016

• NEW TERMINAL UPGRADE - 2015
• EXTRA FLIGHTS TO AUCKLAND,  HAMILTON - HAPPENING NOW
• MORE ATR 72 PLANES TO ARRIVE/TAKEOFF - HAPPENING NOW
• MORE PASSENGER NUMBERS - HAPPENING NOW
• POTENTIAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - 2016+

 

TERMINAL UPGRADE -  CONFIRMED!

Starting off with the terminal upgrade. Not much has been revealed about the new terminal however what we do know is that the New Plymouth District Council has confirmed that they are designing a new terminal extension for construction in 2015. The airport's terminal building opened in 1964 and was designed for just 60,000 passengers per year.

EXTRA FLIGHTS TO BE ADDED, INCLUIDING HAMILTON FLIGHTS - CONFIRMED! 

Extra flights are to be added by 2016 in addition to the new terminal, these flights will include flights to Hamilton and Auckland with the pottential for more flights to Christchurch, Wellington and another destination. 

BIGGER AIRCRAFTS TO COME IN AND OUT - CONFIRMED! 

More ATR72 planes are taking off and landing in New Plymouth effective immediately, and is meaning there are six ATR72's coming into the airport daily instead of the earlier two. 

PASSENGER NUMBERS INCREASE - CONFIRMED! 

The number of people flying in and out of New Plymouth Airport rose seven per cent between 2012 and 2013, increasing from 310,943 to 332,178 passengers.

And 2014 has got off to a record start with January’s 24,706 passengers up 20 per cent on last January’s 20,549.

Manager Airport Kevin Hill believes the increase is largely from business passengers.

“Generally the passenger mix is 50:50 business and leisure, but January’s 20 per cent rise was because of crew changes on the deep-sea drilling programmed,” he says.

“I think we’re seeing the result of Taranaki’s buoyant economy, with the petrochemical industry driving the increase to a certain extent.”

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WILL IT HAPPEN? - TO COME.

New Plymouth Youth In Politics are confirming there is a large potential the airport could become international in the future, and could be designed in 2016 however that is still unknown details.