Wellington International Airport Taunga Rererangi o Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Māori) | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner |
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| Operator | Wellington International Airport Ltd | ||||||||||
| Serves | Wellington | ||||||||||
| Location | Rongotai, Wellington,New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Opened | 25 October 1959 (1959-10-25) | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Time zone | NZST (UTC+12:00) | ||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | NZDT (UTC+13:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 13 m / 42 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°19′38″S174°48′19″E / 41.32722°S 174.80528°E /-41.32722; 174.80528 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  WLG/NZWN Location of the Wellington Airport Show map of New Zealand Wellington WLG/NZWN WLG/NZWN (North Island) Show map of North Island.svg) WLG/NZWN WLG/NZWN (New Zealand) Show map of New Zealand WLG/NZWN WLG/NZWN (Oceania) Show map of Oceania | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (year ending 30 June 2019) | |||||||||||
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Wellington International Airport[4] (IATA:WLG,ICAO:NZWN) — formerly known asRongotai Aerodrome orRongotai Airport, or simplyWellington Airport — is aninternational airport located in the suburb ofRongotai inWellington, the capital ofNew Zealand. It lies 5.5 km (3.0 nmi; 3.4 mi) south-east from the city centre. It is ahub forAir New Zealand andSounds Air. Wellington International Airport Limited, a joint venture betweenInfratil and theWellington City Council, operates the airport. Wellington is thethird busiest airport in New Zealand afterAuckland andChristchurch, handling a total of 3,455,858 passengers in the year ending June 2022, and the third busiest in terms of aircraft movements.[5] The airport, in addition to linking many New Zealand destinations with national and regional carriers, also has links to major cities in eastern Australia. It is the home of some smaller general aviation businesses, including theWellington Aero Club, which operates from the general aviation area on the western side of the runway.
The airport comprises a small 110-hectare (270-acre)[6] site on the Rongotai isthmus, a stretch of low-lying land between Wellington proper and the hillyMiramar Peninsula. It operates a single 1,815-metre (5,955 ft) runway withILS in both directions. The airport handles turboprop, narrow-body and wide-body jet aircraft movements. The airport is bordered by residential and commercial areas to the east and west, and by Evans Bay inWellington Harbour to the north andCook Strait to the south.
Wellington Airport has a reputation for sometimes rough and turbulent landings, even in larger aircraft, due to the channelling effect of Cook Strait creating strong and gusty winds, especially in pre-frontal north-westerly conditions.[7][8]
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Wellington Aero Club formed in 1928 and asked Wellington City Council to set aside land for an airport. In October 1928, the Council agreed to the proposal and allocated reserve land atLyall Bay for the purpose.[9] Up to 150 labourers levelled the sand dunes and laid down a surface of broken rock and clay to stop the sand blowing away. This was then sown with grass.[10] The official opening of the airport took place on 16 November 1929 with flying displays by 15 aeroplanes doing "crazy flying", "bombing" and races.[11]
The runway, which ran in a northwest to southeast alignment to match prevailing winds in the area, was extended in 1933.[12] The first timetabled commercial flights into Rongotai Airport took place on 30 December 1935, when twode Havilland Express biplane airliners ofCook Strait Airways with paying passengers flew in fromNelson andBlenheim.[13][14]: 15
During this period, concerns about safety were raised. Early aviatorCharles Kingsford Smith flew into Wellington and was said to be "perturbed" about conditions at Rongotai, where wind swirled around and the hills were very close. Along with others, he believed that Gear Island at the mouth of theHutt River inPetone would be a better site for a commercial airport.[15][16] A scale model of the landscape around the airport was made and tested in a wind tunnel,[17] and, starting in 1936, the height ofMoa Point Hill at the eastern end of Lyall Bay was lowered to improve the approach to the runway.[18] In 1937 a government committee investigated possibilities for improving the airport, but its suggestion that a runway be constructed from north to south across the isthmus fromEvans Bay to Lyall Bay, which would have entailed removal ofRongotai College and demolition or removal of up to 150 houses, was deemed unpalatable. The runway was extended and other improvements made, but the 1937 committee had warned that the airport was not safe, and finally on 27 September 1947 the airport closed and almost all commercial flights were moved toParaparaumu Airport, 35 miles (56 km) north of Wellington.[14]: 17–20
Paraparaumu Airport soon became the country's busiest airport,[19][20] but it was deemed unsuitable for large aircraft due to adverse terrain.[21] Between 1950 and 1954, TEAL (the forerunner ofAir New Zealand) also operated flying boats to Australia from abase in Evans Bay.[22]
Rongotai was still used for a frequent service to Blenheim and Nelson in 14-seaterde Havilland Herons. Wellington Aero Club continued to operate from Rongotai, and the airport was also used occasionally byRoyal New Zealand Air Force aircraft as well as ambulance aircraft transporting patients toWellington Hospital. The Aircraft Engineering Company had a flying school with three aeroplanes based at the airport, and thede Havilland Aircraft Company had an aircraft maintenance facility.[23]
With the closure of Rongotai Airport, the government had invited a British commission to report on New Zealand airports. The Tymms Report produced in 1948 recommended that the isthmus at Rongotai was still the best site for an airport in Wellington, and Wellington City Council and the Chamber of Commerce also lobbied for the airport to be retained there.[14]: 20–21 After several options for development were considered, Wellington City Council agreed to the Rongotai Terrace scheme in February 1951.[14]: 25 This scheme saved Rongotai College and provided for a north-south runway. A major part of the scheme involved the complete removal of Rongotai Hill. Construction of the airport began in 1953, with the six-year project costing £5 million (equivalent to $349,700,000 in 2024).[21] Spoil from Rongotai Hill was used to reclaim land in Evans Bay and Lyall Bay. About 180 houses at Rongotai Terrace and Wexford Road on the hill were demolished or relocated to the newly reclaimed land at Evans Bay.[24][25]
Coutts Street had previously been the main road and tram route between Kilbirnie and the Miramar Peninsula, but the new runway cut the street in two. A pedestrian tunnel from Coutts Street to Miramar was built under the runway, and a new road to the peninsula, Cobham Drive, was built on reclaimed land at the head of Evans Bay at the north end of the runway.[26]
The current airport was officially reopened on 25 October 1959.[14] The original length of the runway was 1,630 metres (5,350 ft),[14] but it was extended in the early 1970s to handleDouglas DC-8s.[27]
In 1991, the airport released plans to widen the taxiway toCAA Code D & E specifications[28] and acquire extra space,[29] which were abandoned after protests from local residents. The plan involved the removal of the nearby Miramar Golf Course and a large number of residential and commercial properties.[30] The airport purchased land from the Miramar Golf Course in 1994 for car park space.
As recently as 1992, several alternate sites for Wellington Airport were considered –Te Horo,Paraparaumu,Mana Island,Ohariu Valley,Horokiwi,Wairarapa andPencarrow[31] – but a decision was made to upgrade the existing site at Rongotai. A major new domestic terminal was completed in 1999 and integrated with the international terminal, which had been built in 1977. A 90 m safety zone at the south end of the runway was constructed during 2006 in order to comply withICAO safety regulations, while a similar zone was also put in place at the runway's north end.[32]
In April 2006, Air New Zealand andQantas announced that they proposed to enter into acodeshare agreement, arguing that it would be necessary in order to reduce empty seats and financial losses ontrans-Tasman routes. The airport counter-argued that the codeshare would stifle competition and passenger growth on Wellington's international flights, pointing to what it saw as a market duopoly dominated by Air New Zealand and Qantas.[33] The codeshare was abandoned by the two airlines after it was rejected in a draft ruling by theAustralian Competition & Consumer Commission in November 2006.[34]
Fiji Airways began serving Wellington fromNadi on 25 June 2015.[35] Australian airlineJetstar launched its first international service in December 2014 from Wellington to theGold Coast.[36]
On 21 September 2016Singapore Airlines began direct flights betweenSingapore and Wellington via Australia's capital cityCanberra.[37] It was Wellington's first direct flight to a destination outside Australia and the Pacific Islands. From April 2018, the Singapore Airlines flight began transiting viaMelbourne rather than Canberra.[38] The flights were terminated in 2020 following theCOVID-19 outbreak.[39]
Execujet (in conjunction with Capital Jet services) operates aFBO and hangar facility for corporate jets and visiting general aviation aircraft on the western apron. Other notable operators on the western apron include Life Flight, the RNZAF and the Wellington Aero Club.
Beginning in 2002, the airport built a bulk retail centre on land it owned to the west of the airport.[40][41] Between 2009 and 2019 the airport issued various plans outlining upgrades over the next 20 years, including expanded terminal and apron space, runway extensions, terminal extensions, new freight facilities and a relocated fire station.[42][43][44][45] In 2018, a nine-storey car park with more than 1,000 parking spaces was opened,[46] and in 2019 a 134-room hotel opened at the airport, with direct access from the terminal.[47]
In 2018, a new air traffic control tower opened next to the airport retail centre. The building was designed byStudio Pacific Architecture and Paris Magdalinos Architects.[48] The eight-storey building is constructed on a 12.5 degree angle as if leaning into the prevailing northerly wind, and is built to stand up to a 10-metre high tsunami wave.[49] The former control tower at Tirangi Road was put up for sale by Airways New Zealand, but was found to be unsuitable for redevelopment due to structural issues and asbestos contamination.[50][51] Wellington Airport bought the building and it was demolished in 2021.[52]
Since 1998 the airport has been two-thirds privately owned byInfratil, with the remaining third owned byWellington City Council. In late May 2024, Wellington City Council voted in favour of selling its 34% minority stake (worth NZ$278 million) in Wellington Airport, with the proceeds going towards a major disaster investment fund.[53] However, the sale was halted in October the same year, after a majority of councillors backed out of the deal.[54]
On 22 November 2024, Wellington Airport announced a rebrand and a NZ$500 million investment in infrastructure over five years. The plan includes the installation of anEngineered materials arrestor system (EMAS) at each runway end, upgrades to the terminal, and new community spaces in Lyall Bay.[55]
Wellington's original domestic terminal was built as a temporary measure inside an existingcorrugated iron hangar, originally used to assemblede Havilland aircraft. It was known for being overcrowded, leaky and draughty.
An international terminal was opened in 1977.[56] An upgrade of the domestic terminal, budgeted at NZ$10 million, was announced in 1981, but by 1983 the plans were shelved after cost projections more than doubled.[57] The terminal was extensively refurbished in 1987 byAir New Zealand, andAnsett New Zealand built a new terminal as an extension to the international terminal when it commenced competing domestic air services in 1987.
In 1999 a new domestic terminal opened, linked to the international terminal. Designed by architectJon Craig from Craig Craig Moller, the three-storey terminal has an open-plan retail, refreshment and seating area with a long glass wall overlooking the runway.[58] Five new airbridges were also included in the development.[59] In 2003, the airport installed a large statue ofGollum on the outside of the terminal in order to promote the world premiere ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[60] This Gollum was later removed, and a new sculpture of Gollum catching a fish was installed inside the terminal. In 2013 two one-tonne eagles with wingspans of 15 metres were installed inside the terminal to promote the second film in theThe Hobbit film series.[61] Wētā Workshop contributed anotherHobbit art installation in 2014—a statue ofSmaug the dragon.[62][63] In 2025, the eagles were replaced with another Wētā Workshop sculpture of Te Manu Muramura, a localmythological spirit bird of Wellington Harbour.[64][65]
On 19 February 2008, Wellington Airport announced the proposed design for a new, expanded international terminal.[66] The design, by Studio Pacific Architecture andWarren and Mahoney, was a deliberate departure from traditional airport terminal design. Featuring round structures covered in weathered copper, the design aroused a great deal of controversy and was nicknamed "The Rock".[67] "The Rock" opened in October 2010.[68]
In 2022,Fulton Hogan commenced work on rebuilding the apron.[69]
Wellington Airport's terminal at the east of the airport has three piers: south, south-west and north-west. The terminal and piers have a total floor area of 32,300 square metres (348,000 sq ft).[3] The main terminal building contains a common check-in area on the first floor and a common baggage claim area on the ground floor. Both connect to a retail and refreshment area on the first floor, looking out onto the runway.
The gates in the south pier (Gates 3 to 12) and the gates in the main terminal building (Gates 18 to 20) serve regional aircraft. The gates in the south-west pier (Gates 13 to 17) are predominantly used byAir New Zealand domestic jets, and with the exception of Gate 14, all arejetbridge gates. The gates in the north-west pier (Gates 21 to 29) are used byJetstar domestic jets and all international flights: when transferred to international use, these gates are referred to as Gates 41 to 49 (e.g. Gate 26 is referred to as Gate 46 when used for an international flight).[70]
Air New Zealand operates three lounges forKoru members: the Regional Lounge on the second floor of the main terminal for members travelling regionally on turboprop aircraft, the Domestic Lounge located after security screening in the south-west pier for members travelling domestically on Air New Zealand jet aircraft, and the International Lounge located after outbound passport control in the north-west pier for members travelling internationally. Qantas also operates a lounge after outbound passport control in the north-west pier; the lounge is available toQantas Club members departing on international flights.[71]
Wellington Airport has one runway: 16/34. As of 2024[update] the runway is 1,815 m (5,955 ft) long threshold to threshold; withdisplaced thresholds at each end, the take-off run available is 1,945 m (6,381 ft) for runway 16 and 1,921 m (6,302 ft) for runway 34.[72] The runway is grooved, which improves performance of the runway during wet conditions.[73] In 2025 the airport began installation of anengineered materials arrestor system (EMAS), to increase the effective runway length to 1,947 metres (6,388 ft) in both directions.[72][74][75]
The airport has anight curfew from midnight to 6:00 am, although international arrivals are allowed as late as 1:00 am and there are numerous conditions and exceptions to the curfew, e.g.air ambulances are not subject to the curfew.[76] In 2011, Qantas subsidiaryJetconnect was fined $12,000 after a delayed flight from Sydney landed at 1:47 am.[77]
Air Movements Rongotai sits on the opposite side of the Wellington airport runway from the main passenger terminals, its main use being the facilitation ofRoyal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) flights and flights of overseas military forces. The current building was refurbished in the late 1980s when it housed not only the RNZAF Air movements unit but also 2 MCU (2nd Movements Control Unit) of the New Zealand Army. The role of 2 MCU was the logistic control and movement of defence personal and freight throughout New Zealand and abroad, utilising both civilian and military modes of transport.
| Rank | Airport | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 309,992 |
| 2 | Melbourne | 186,012 |
| 3 | Brisbane | 114,618 |
| 4 | Gold Coast | 62,385 |
| 5 | Nadi | 36,133 |
The length of the runway has limited the size of aircraft that can use the airport on a commercial basis, and non-stop overseas destinations are limited to southeastern Australia and the South Pacific. Most large jet aircraft can safely use Wellington but the short runway severely limits their range to short-haul flights, and passenger numbers on trans-Tasman routes generally do not justify the use of wide-body aircraft. Air New Zealand has occasionally used wide-body aircraft to cater for high-demand events such as major sports fixtures,[93] and the airport has seen a number of wide-body movements over the years for heads of state and visiting foreign dignitaries, diversions or special promotional events.Singapore Airlines formerly operated a Wellington-Melbourne-Singapore flight four times per week, using anAirbus A350-900.[94]
A full-length runway extension to accommodate long-haul international flights has been previously investigated,[29][95][96][97][98] but would require expensiveland reclamation intoLyall Bay, and massivebreakwater protection fromCook Strait. Doubts have existed over the viability of such an undertaking, particularly as Air New Zealand has repeatedly indicated that it has no interest in pursuing international service beyond Australia and the Pacific Islands, and few international airlines have shown serious interest in providing services beyond those points. Air New Zealand has questioned potential demand for such flights, citing the axing of itsChristchurch-Los Angeles route in early 2006.[99] Regional business organisations and the airport have put forward their case to various international airlines for long-haul operations to and from Wellington,[57][100] pointing out that Christchurch's economy is mainly industrial and agricultural, while arguing that Wellington's economy is based mainly on what they see as the higher-value public service, financial,ICT, and creative sectors. In particular, a survey commissioned by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce found that respondents regarded the airport's limited international capacity as the biggest obstacle to the Wellington region's economic potential, by a long margin over other factors.[101] It has also been pointed out that while Air New Zealand has been scaling back certain routes, it is adding others, most notablyAuckland-Shanghai from 6 November 2006.
According to WIAL in 2009, the forthcomingBoeing 787 andAirbus A350 were originally predicted to have improved runway performance over existing long-haul aircraft, opening up the possibility of direct air links to Asia and the Americas if commercially viable.[102] However, when the B787 was introduced into service, it was found that the "actual performance was not as favourable as was originally envisaged", prompting a decision to extend the north end of the runway.[103] In 2011, the Wellington City Council, MayorCelia Wade-Brown and local business leaders reiterated their support for lengthening the runway, as part of the Airport's 2030 Long Term Plan, but questions were raised about a possible conflict of interest regarding the then incumbent Mayor's role on Infratil's board of directors.[104] The same year,Upper Hutt mayorWayne Guppy called for further action on a runway extension,[105] with a spokesman for the airport confirming a proposal to lengthen the southern end of the runway by 300 m at an estimated cost of $1 million a metre which could start early 2015.[106] In 2013,United Arab Emirates-based airlineEmirates said it would consider Wellington as a destination while the airport operator said 1000 people connect with long-haul flights to and from the capital each day.[107] Also in 2013,China Southern Airlines expressed interest in starting aGuangzhou to Wellington service.[108]
In late 2014, the Airport and the Wellington City Council jointly opened the Web siteConnect Wellington to promote the case for a runway extension.
In January 2016, Singapore Airlines announced that it would begin services to Wellington via Canberra. The route, dubbed "The Capital Express", flew to Wellington via Canberra four times a week, using a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.[109] The 777-200 was able to use Wellington Airport because the amount of fuel needed to fly between Wellington and Canberra was relatively small; it could not take off from Wellington Airport if it carried the fuel required to fly non-stop to Singapore. The Deputy Mayor of Wellington argued that Singapore Airlines' commitment to the capital helped the case for an airport runway extension, and showed that airlines are looking to fly to Wellington and that the extension would cater for that in the future.[110] In 2018, the Capital Express route was redirected via Melbourne instead of Canberra.[38] In 2019, Singapore Airlines announced that they would replace the 777-200 aircraft with the A350-900, starting on 1 November 2019.[111]
On 8 May 2024, the airport announced a pause on plans for a runway extension, in order to get consent to rebuild the southern seawall.[112] In 2025 the airport began installation of anengineered materials arrestor system (EMAS), to increase the effective runway length to 1,947 metres (6,388 ft) in both directions.[72][113][114]
Because of the runway limitations, Qantas introducedBoeing 747SPs on flights between Wellington and Australia in 1981; the 747SP has a much shorter fuselage than other 747 variants.[115][116][117] Air New Zealand operatedDouglas DC-8s from Wellington on trans-Tasman routes, but when they were retired in 1981[117] none of its other aircraft were capable of operating international flights from Wellington – Air New Zealand'sMcDonnell Douglas DC-10s required more runway length than Wellington had available, andtwinjets such as theBoeing 737-200 were not yetETOPS-certified.[118]
The 747SP addressed this gap in the market, with Air New Zealand (after turning down an offer to purchase the type)code-sharing with Qantas. Special markings on the runway assisted Qantas pilots, to indicate where to touch down and to abort and go round to attempt a landing again.[119] The 747SP service to Wellington continued until 1985, when Qantas and later Air New Zealand took delivery of the more capable and economicalBoeing 767-200ER type.[117][118]
During this timePan Am took an interest in the operation of 747SPs into the capital and proposed a possible long-range service to the US via Hawaii.[citation needed] However, the New Zealand Government refused Pan Am's request for the route, citing Auckland Airport as the main gateway for overseas flights and the ability to generate passenger numbers amongst other things.[120][better source needed][121]
Wellington Airport is only accessed by road. The airport lies at the southern end of the North Island section ofState Highway 1, which connects the airport to Wellington City via theMount Victoria Tunnel. SH 1 then continues to theWellington Urban Motorway, which takes traffic out of the city and further afield toPorirua and theKāpiti Coast, and also onwards to theHutt Valley and theWairarapa viaState Highway 2. The distance from the airport to the city centre is roughly 8 km (5.0 mi). Several taxi andshuttle companies serve the airport.
Metlink bus route 2 (between the CBD and Miramar/Seatoun) has a stop within walking distance of the terminal and connects to Metlink train services at Wellington railway station.[122] The Metlink Airport Express bus service, which began on 1 July 2022, links the Wellington CBD directly with Wellington Airport.[123]
Public transport to the airport is limited to buses as the airport is quite distant from the Wellington railway station, making it difficult to link Wellington Airport to the CBD via a rail link. Feasibility studies, such as theGreater Wellington Regional Council's Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor Plan,[124] have been carried out to address this gap in the network, withlight rail being touted as a solution by some public transport advocates.
In spite of the short runway and frequent winds, there have been very few safety incidents at the airport, with the following exceptions:
Air New Zealand will now operate a Boeing 767 service from Dunedin to the capital on Saturday morning providing an extra 230 seats to the game.
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