New Plymouth District Council in New Zealand has approved the construction of a new terminal at New Plymouth Airport, which will see the facility increase from approximately 15,000ft² to more than 44,000ft².
The terminal will cost between NZ$21.7m (US$15.1m) and NZ$28.7m (US$20m) to construct and will enable the airport to cater for more than 400,000 passengers annually.
An earlier and smaller design had previously been submitted at a cost of NZ$19.3m (US$13.5m). However, after in-depth passenger modeling and discussions with the airlines, the Council’s Audit and Risk Committee recommended that a larger and improved design be put forward containing sustainable materials where possible. The terminal improvement plans will now be opened up for public consultation.
Alan Bird, chief financial officer, New Plymouth District Council, said, “After ongoing engagement and modeling, this larger terminal will meet commercial trends and will be paid for by increased airport revenue. It will be double the current size and also promote our cultural history, which has been developed with Puketapu Hapu as part of the project team.
“The terminal redevelopment is a commercial project that will be paid for by the users of the airport through airline landing charges, tenant rents and car parking fees – no money will be coming from rates.”
New Plymouth Airport is the fourth-busiest regional airport in New Zealand serving more than 400,000 passengers annually. The original terminal was built in 1967 to cater for approximately 50,000 passengers per year.
