Which airport needs an upgrade?
Been talking on another thread and I was interested at how passionate some people were about the development of their favourite local airports. I've been amazed at recent years with the huge growth in passenger numbers. In Australia alone there have been several smaller airports which have passed the 1 million passenger mark for the first time for example Launceston and Newcastle.....Airports that have been investing in their infrastructure seem to be reaping the benefits. Also, unlike many airlines most airports make a positive return on investment and can be very profitable. So my question is if you had a few spare million to invest which airport would you develop and what would you do?
I think Wanaka airport near Queenstown represents a great opportunity as it is in the heartland of the NZ tourist industry and has the room to lengthen it's runway to international standards. A 2.5 Km runway would make it piossible to handle widebody flights from Asia. Currently Queenstown (1800 m) can't handle these flights because like Wellington it is constrained by it's runway length. There is also limited scope to expand without throwing tens of millions at it and upsetting too many local and environmentalist groups.
Last edited by ramyon; 11th Jan 2008 at 20:21.