Whakatāne Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whakatāne Airport Papa Rererangi i Whakatāne
Whakatāne airport terminal
IATA: WHK ICAO: NZWK
Summary
Location	Whakatāne, New Zealand
Elevation AMSL	20 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	37°55′14″S 176°54′51″E / 37.92056°S 176.91417°E / -37.92056; 176.91417
Map
WHK Location in North Island
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 09R/27L 2,461 750 Grass 09L/27R 4,200 1,280 Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data [1]

Whakatāne Airport terminal.

Whakatāne Airport (airport codes: WHK, NZWK) is a small airport in New Zealand. It helps people travel to and from the town of Whakatāne. The airport also serves the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. It is a gateway for tourists visiting places like Mount Tarawera and White Island.

Airport History

The Whakatāne Airport first opened on January 24, 1963. It had a new sealed runway. The cost to build it was about 50,000 pounds. Later, a special safety area was added to the runway. This area is called a runway end safety area (RESA). It helps make landings safer for bigger planes, like the Saab 340.

A colourful Air Chathams Fairchild Metroliner plane at Whakatāne Airport. This plane flies regularly between Whakatāne and Auckland.

Today, an airline called Air Chathams flies daily from Whakatāne to Auckland. They use a plane called a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner. Air Chathams also started using the larger Saab 340 planes for this route in November 2019.

The airport is home to more than just passenger flights. It also has:

• A flight school, where people learn to fly planes.
• Planes used for farming work.
• Planes that take tourists on scenic flights.
• Helicopters used for different jobs.

The airport's main building, called the terminal, was designed by an architect named Roger Walker. It was finished in 1974 and was considered "excitingly different." In 2019, this building was recognized as an important historical place by Heritage New Zealand.

Airlines and Destinations

Whakatāne Airport connects to one main city.