Invercargill Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Invercargill Airport
IATA: IVC ICAO: NZNV
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Invercargill Airport Ltd
Location	Invercargill
Elevation AMSL	5 ft / 2 m
Coordinates	46°24′44″S 168°18′46″E / 46.41222°S 168.31278°E / -46.41222; 168.31278
Map
Invercargill Airport Location in New Zealand
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 04/22 2,210 7,251 Asphalt 04R/22L 695 2,280 Grass 07/25 426 1,398 Grass 12/30 913 2,996 Grass
Statistics (2013)
Passengers 270,924

Invercargill Airport is an important airport located just 1.6 km (one mile) west of downtown Invercargill. It's at the very bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. This airport is special because it's the southernmost controlled airport in the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a group of countries that used to be part of the British Empire.

The airport was built on land that was once part of the Waihopai/New River Estuary. This land was reclaimed in 1938. Because it was built on reclaimed land, the airport used to flood sometimes. A big flood in 1984 stopped flights for two months! To fix this, a large flood protection system was built. Even during its construction, heavy rain caused another flood in 1987. Luckily, there have been no major problems since then.

Today, Invercargill Airport has a main terminal building and a backup international terminal. It also has five places where planes can park. It is the eleventh-busiest airport in New Zealand for passengers.

Netball sculpture at Invercargill Airport

A plane getting ready for a flight to Stewart Island

History of Invercargill Airport

The land where today's airport sits was once a tidal lake. This spot was chosen because it was closer to the city than the old airport, Dawson Farm. Dawson Farm was about 10 km away.

Work to drain and prepare the land for the new airport started in 1936. A large canal and pumping system were built to keep the land dry. By 1939, a basic landing strip was ready for small planes.

When World War Two began, the RNZAF (New Zealand's air force) used the new site as a backup airfield. The city council built two hangars, and the air force built a larger one. Simple office buildings were set up for airport staff.

Early Flights and Growth

The first regular passenger flights started in 1944. Union Airways flew a Lockheed 10 Electra plane from Dunedin. At that time, the airport's terminal was just two small sheds! Union Airways offered a bus service to take passengers directly to downtown Invercargill.

In 1947, the New Zealand government took over all airlines and created NAC. The Electra planes were replaced with de Havilland DH.89s. A new paved runway was built in 1956, along with a new, but temporary, terminal. After this, larger Douglas DC-3 planes started flying.

Around the same time, a local airline called Amphibian Airways began flights to Stewart Island in the early 1950s. They used special planes called Grumman Widgeons that could land on both water and land. These planes also helped reach isolated lighthouses. Today, Stewart Island Flights still provides air service to Stewart Island.

Modern Terminal Buildings

Over the years, the main runway was made longer to handle bigger planes. This allowed planes like the NAC Fokker F27s (in 1961) and NAC Vickers Viscount (in 1969) to land. Eventually, NAC's Boeing 737-200 planes started using the airport in 1975. Today, the main runway is 2,210 metres long.

The airport's passenger terminal grew around a unique two-level building from 1963. It had a cool roof shape and glass walls that gave great views of the runway. There was even an outdoor area where people could watch planes.

In 1988, Air New Zealand added a jetway. This is a covered walkway that connects the terminal directly to the plane, making it easier for passengers, especially in bad weather.

New Terminal Building, 2016

In 2013, the airport announced plans for a brand new terminal building. The old terminal was over 50 years old and needed major upgrades to meet new earthquake safety rules. It was decided that building a new terminal would be better than trying to fix the old one.

Construction of the new single-story building began in 2014. It was built in stages over about 20 months. The new terminal opened in 2016. It's slightly bigger than the old one and uses the space much better. Air New Zealand also added a new lounge for its frequent flyers. The terminal uses local materials to show off the region's tourist attractions. In 2019, new security and baggage handling areas were added for both domestic and international flights.

Changes in Plane Sizes

From 1975 to 1995, regular jet services flew into Invercargill. But then, Air New Zealand changed its flight plans. They introduced smaller planes like the 68-seat ATR 72-200. Even though these were turboprop planes (which are not jets), they allowed for more frequent flights, sometimes up to eight times a day. The larger 737 jets could only fly three times a day.

Air New Zealand explained that the smaller ATR (and later, Q300) planes would offer more flight choices with only a small difference in travel time. When the 50-seat Q300 planes started flying to Invercargill, it also allowed for a new direct route to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.

Return of Jet Services

In December 2018, Air New Zealand announced exciting news: direct flights to and from Auckland would return! These flights would use the larger Airbus A320 jet.

The first Airbus A320 arrived from Auckland on August 25, 2019. This is Air New Zealand's longest domestic flight. During the Covid Global Pandemic, flight times changed, and they have stayed that way. Air New Zealand said the Auckland service showed that people really wanted non-stop flights to Auckland.

Becoming a "Secured" Airport

With the return of domestic jet services in 2019, Invercargill Airport had to meet international safety rules. This meant completely fencing the airport, upgrading rescue vehicles, and adding a screening area for passengers. X-ray machines for baggage were also installed. Now, the airport has security patrols 24 hours a day.

Being a "Secured" airport also means it's easier for occasional international flights to use the airport. Passengers can now be checked through a backup terminal in Hangar 2, as well as the new main terminal.

Invercargill Airport Today

In 2005, the main runway was extended to 2,210 m. This cost about NZ$5 million. As of 2012, it was the third-longest civilian runway in New Zealand. It can handle planes like the Boeing 737/Airbus A320. It can even handle larger planes like the Boeing 777-200/787-9, but with some weight limits.

The airport has a plan to handle planes that need to land there if their original destination is closed. The areas where planes park can handle aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A321. Equipment for handling baggage containers and stairs for planes were added in 2016.

The planes you'll usually see at Invercargill Airport today are the Airbus A320, ATR 72, and the Dash 8 Q-300.

Commercial Operators

Air New Zealand is the main airline flying from Invercargill Airport. They use Bombardier Q300 and ATR-72 planes for flights to Christchurch and Wellington. They use the Airbus A320 for flights to Auckland. Air New Zealand also has a small area at the airport to do maintenance on planes that stay overnight.

Stewart Island Flights offers flights to Oban, the main town on Stewart Island, up to three times a day. They also offer flights for groups who book in advance.

Mainland Air flies to and from Dunedin. This service is mainly used to transport medical staff daily, but if there are extra seats, the public can buy tickets on their website.

International Role

Since August 2019, Invercargill has been a "Fully Secured" international airport. Before that, it needed special permission for international flights.

For many years, Invercargill Airport hoped to become a regular international destination. However, Queenstown Airport became the main international airport in the region. Still, Invercargill is now used as a place for international flights to refuel. It's also a designated airport for planes to land if Queenstown Airport closes due to bad weather.

There is a small international terminal in Hangar 2, but it's not used very often.

Since July 2012, Air New Zealand has used Invercargill as a "technical stop." This happens when conditions in Queenstown make it hard for planes to take off with enough fuel for a direct flight to Australia. This could be due to bad weather or other reasons. In the past, these flights would go through Christchurch, adding two hours to the trip. Going via Invercargill saves about an hour. Usually, passengers don't even leave the plane when it's refuelling.

Invercargill now has all the necessary border control services, like Customs Officers from the nearby Port of Bluff. This means it can handle international charter flights or diverted flights if Queenstown Airport is closed. For example, on March 3, 2013, Invercargill handled over 400 passengers from international flights that were diverted from Queenstown due to low clouds.

Military and Antarctic Flights

Invercargill Airport was only a backup airport during World War Two. Military flights have been rare since then because Christchurch was chosen as the main base for Operation Deep Freeze (Antarctic flights) in 1949.

However, some Antarctic flights did land at Invercargill if the airport in Dunedin was closed. After the runway was lengthened and paved, larger military planes like the C-124 Globemaster and C-121 Constellation used the airport for emergencies or technical stops.

Today, the airport is visited by planes from the United States ANG, Australia's RAAF, Italy's Aeronautica Militare, and New Zealand's RNZAF. They use the airport for training related to Antarctic flights. The RNZAF also uses the airfield for their "Wise Owl" exercises a couple of times each decade.

The largest plane that regularly lands at Invercargill is the Boeing C-17 Globemaster. Even larger planes like the USAF KC-10 Extenders, Lockheed C-141 Starlifters, and C-5 Galaxy have flown low over the runway for emergency diversion practice.

Airlines and Destinations

Late afternoon at Invercargill Airport

Passenger Flights

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