Hawke's Bay Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hawke's Bay Airport
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Air New Zealand Bombardier Q300 on the tarmac at Napier Airport, November 2005
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Crown (50%) Napier City (26%) Hastings District (24%) |
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| Operator | Hawke's Bay Airport Ltd | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Hastings, New Zealand and Napier, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | State Highway 2, Westshore, Napier, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2 m / 7 ft | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°28′06″S 176°52′18″E / 39.46833°S 176.87167°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.hawkesbay-airport.co.nz | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
 NPE
Location in North Island
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| Runway | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (July 2017 to June 2018) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hawke's Bay Airport, also known as Napier Airport, is the main airport for the Hawke's Bay region in New Zealand. It handles flights to major cities like Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. It also connects to smaller towns such as Gisborne. The airport is located north of Napier and about 20 kilometers from Hastings.
Many people travel through this airport. For example, over 652,000 passengers used the airport between July 2016 and June 2017.
Contents
About Hawke's Bay Airport
Hawke's Bay Airport is in Westshore, a suburb of Napier. It was built on land that used to be part of the Ahuriri Lagoon. This area was lifted above sea level by the big 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
The airport mostly handles flights within New Zealand. However, it can also allow a few international flights. These special flights are for smaller planes carrying up to fourteen people. They need to be arranged beforehand with specific flight companies.
There is another smaller airport nearby called Hastings Aerodrome. It is mainly used for flight training and fun flying, not for regular passenger flights.
Airport History and Growth
Early Days of Napier Airport
The first airport in Napier was the Embankment Aerodrome, which opened in 1932. It was located near the road and rail embankment between Napier and Westshore. In 1935, the Napier Airport Board was created, and the town of Napier became the owner of this airport.
To meet new safety rules, a different airfield was needed. So, a new one was built near the shipping beacons between Westshore and Bay View. This new location, called the Beacons Aerodrome, had more space to grow. Because of this, it became Napier's main airport.
Choosing the Main Airport
In 1944, the Beacons Aerodrome was chosen as the main airport for Hawke's Bay. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officially confirmed this in 1957. However, leaders in Hastings wanted an airport closer to their city.
To solve this, the Government set up a committee in 1961. They looked at all the options and again decided that the Beacons was the best choice. They also suggested building a new motorway to make it easier to get to the airport from Hastings.
Opening of Hawke's Bay Airport
A new runway, about 1,750 meters long, was built. Hawke's Bay Airport officially opened in February 1964.
In 2010 and 2011, the main runway was made even longer. It now has extra safety areas at each end. This length allows larger planes, like the Airbus A320 jets used by Air New Zealand, to land and take off.
Recent Upgrades and Future Plans
The airport has been growing a lot. In November 2013, the airport announced plans to make the main runway even longer, to 1,940 meters. They also planned a major upgrade and expansion of the terminal building.
A brand new terminal building, costing NZ$25 million, opened on August 5, 2021. This was a big improvement for passengers.
The airport has seen record numbers of travelers. In the financial year ending June 2017, over 652,000 people passed through its doors. This makes it the 7th busiest airport in New Zealand.
Jetstar Airways used to fly daily between Napier and Auckland from December 2015 until November 2019.
Airlines and Destinations
Many airlines fly to and from Hawke's Bay Airport. Here are some of them and where they fly:
- Air Napier flies to Gisborne.
- Air New Zealand flies to Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington.
- Sunair flies to Gisborne, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wairoa, and Whakatāne.
See also
- List of airports in New Zealand
- List of airlines of New Zealand
- Transport in New Zealand
- List of busiest airports in New Zealand
