Te Anau Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Te Anau Regional Airport
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Southland District Council | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Southland District Council | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Te Anau, Manapouri & Milford sound (Larger aircraft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Manapouri | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 687 ft / 209 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 45°31′59″S 167°39′00″E / 45.53306°S 167.65000°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | teanauairport.co.nz | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
 Te Anau Regional Airport
Location in New Zealand
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Te Anau Airport, Manapouri (IATA: TEU, ICAO: NZMO) is an airport that helps people travel to and from the towns of Te Anau and Manapouri. It's about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Te Anau and 5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Manapouri, right on State Highway 95. This airport is different from an older, closed airport that used to be near Te Anau.
Airport History
The airport was first built in the 1960s by Mount Cook Airline. It was used as a base for a very big project called the Manapouri Power Station.
In 2002, the airport was sold to the Southland District Council. They decided to make the airport much better for passengers. They wanted it to meet modern standards.
A new building for passengers was finished in 2009. This new building replaced an older, simpler one. The old building is now used for keeping up the airport.
The Council also made the main runway wider and longer. It is now about 1600 meters (5,200 feet) long. They did this to encourage airlines to start flying regular services there again. These regular flights had stopped in 2000.
The main runway has a special light system called APAPI. This system helps pilots land safely. However, it can only be used if you book it ahead of time with the airport manager. The main airport building also needs to be booked in advance. There are no lights on the runway at night right now.
How the Airport Works
In the past, airlines like Mount Cook Airline used to fly regular services to Te Anau from Queenstown. They used planes like the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 and the de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter.
Later, Air New Zealand ATR-72 planes flew here. But not enough people were flying, so these regular services stopped. Air New Zealand had plans to start flights from Christchurch before the 2011 earthquake. However, they cancelled these plans because fewer tourists were visiting.
Sometimes, people still talk about bringing back regular flights to Te Anau. For example, in 2013, Air New Zealand thought about extending a flight from Christchurch to Queenstown on to Te Anau.
Today, a travel company called Tauck World Discovery Travel often uses the airport. They charter (rent) an ATR72-500 plane from Air Chathams. This plane flies to Te Anau as part of their New Zealand tours. For their 2019 tours, the plane flew to Te Anau from Blenheim's Woodbourne Aerodrome. Then, it flew out to Queenstown.
Before 2019, Tauck used different planes for their tours, like a Fokker 50 and a Fokker 70. They also used an Air Chathams Convair 580 and a Vincent Aviation Bae 146-200 "Whisper Jet" in earlier years.
The airport is also a home base for several companies that offer scenic flights. These companies fly tourists around Fiordland National Park. Air Chathams also uses the airport for charter flights to the Chatham Islands during the summer.
Airlines and Places You Can Fly To
This list shows the regular flights that operate from the airport. It does not include special scenic flights or other charter flights.
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| Air Milford | Queenstown |
