Wanaka Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanaka Airport
Wanaka Airport terminal
IATA: WKA ICAO: NZWF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Wanaka Town Board and Management Committee
Location	Wanaka
Hub for	Aspiring Air
Elevation AMSL	1,142 ft / 348 m
Coordinates	44°43′21″S 169°14′45″E / 44.72250°S 169.24583°E / -44.72250; 169.24583
Website	www.wanakaairport.com
Map
WKA Location in New Zealand
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 11/29 3,937 1,200 Asphalt

Wanaka Airport (IATA: WKA, ICAO: NZWF) is an airport that serves the popular holiday town of Wanaka in Otago, New Zealand.

Even though there are no regular passenger flights right now, the airport is a busy place. It is a main base for special flights like scenic tours and private charters. These flights can take you to amazing places such as Milford Sound and Mount Aspiring National Park.

The airport is found next to State Highway 6. It sits on a flat area above the small village of Luggate. It is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south-east of Wanaka town. The airport started as a private airstrip owned by Tim Wallis. In 1985, it became the main airport for Wanaka. It took over from an older airport called Mount Iron Aerodrome.

Fun Events and Attractions

Wanaka Airport is famous for hosting the exciting Warbirds over Wanaka air show. This show happens every two years since 1988. It brings in huge crowds, often more than 50,000 people! You can watch amazing old planes fly and perform tricks.

There are also other cool places to visit right at the airport:

• The National Transport and Toy Museum has many old cars, planes, and toys.
• The Warbirds & Wheels Museum shows off classic cars and historic aircraft.

Airport History

Before Wanaka Airport, the town used a smaller airport called Mount Iron Aerodrome. By the early 1980s, Wanaka was growing fast as a tourist spot. The old airport's runway was too short for bigger planes. It could not be made longer.

So, in 1984, the local council decided to build a new airport. They chose to make a private airstrip bigger. This airstrip was owned by Tim Wallis and was south-east of the town.

On March 19, 2004, Air New Zealand started flying regular passenger services. Their smaller planes, like the 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D, flew from Wanaka to Christchurch. Sometimes, bigger planes were used for busy times or air show weekends.

However, Air New Zealand stopped these flights on January 30, 2013. They said the route was not making money. After this, some local businesses tried to start their own flights. They hoped to fly during the ski season. They also asked Air New Zealand to fly seasonally. But these efforts did not work out.

How the Airport Works Today

Today, the main users of Wanaka Airport are companies that offer scenic and charter flights. These include Aspiring Air, Glenorchy Air, and Southernalpsair.

The airport is also very popular for:

• Skydiving adventures
• Helicopter operations
• Many private planes (general aviation)

Even though Air New Zealand does not have regular flights, they sometimes fly special charter planes. This happens during the big air show weekends. On November 2, 2020, Sounds Air started daily flights. They use a PC-12 plane to fly between Christchurch and Wanaka.

Two aircraft used for scenic flights at Wanaka Airport.

Airport Challenges

Wanaka Airport faces a few challenges:

• Runway Strength: The runway is not strong enough for very heavy aircraft.
• Runway Length: The runway is also not long enough for some types of planes. However, the airport has permission to make the runway longer. They can add 500 meters (1,640 feet) to the west. They can also add another 240 meters (787 feet) for safety.
• Terminal Size: The airport building (terminal) is not very big. It limits how many passengers can be handled at once. Bigger planes can land, but the airport is not set up for many passengers.
• Navigation Tools: The airport does not have a special navigation beacon called a VOR. This can make it harder for planes to land in bad weather. This is especially true for planes without modern GPS equipment.

Airlines and Destinations