Left to right: Steve Sanderson, CEO, Wellington Airport, and John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand
A ceremony was held today (November 9) to celebrate the completion of NZ$58m (US$42m) terminal extension at Wellington Airport in New Zealand.
The project involved extending the main terminal building and apron by an additional 65,000ft² with more parking spaces for aircraft, improved passenger facilities, a centralized screening point and better wayfinding.
Steve Sanderson, CEO, Wellington Airport, said, “The extension can now cater for the 1,500 passengers that we see during the peak hour each day. Passenger numbers are up by 5.6% with a record five million domestic passengers traveling through the airport in the past 12 months.
“We undertook considerable planning and worked with our airline partners, the airport community and stakeholders to ensure the extension is future proof and consistent with the existing terminal and long term expansion proposals.”
Paul Eagle, the deputy mayor of Wellington City, said, “Wellington Airport is a great partner to the city in supporting events and promoting the capital and the domestic extension provides a great first and last impression for those visiting the city.”
Designed by architecture firm Warren and Mahoney, the floor to ceiling windows and laminated timber cross-braces span the full length of the southwest pier, offering views over the runway and Lyall Bay.
The carpet tiles in the terminal are based on the theme of the city lights on the harbor and feature artwork from three local Wellington artists: Timon Maxey, Rachael Gannaway and Sam Broad.
Construction of the extension began in late 2014 and was completed at the end of October 2016. Hawkins was the main contractor for the development while Beca provided engineering expertise for the project.
Work is now underway on a new multi-level parking facility and construction tenders have been put out for the development of a four-star hotel. The 134-bed hotel, built onto the northern end of the terminal, will include a restaurant, bar and conference facilities.
