Terminal plan takes off

auCKland International Airport has mapped out plans for a NZ$1 billion project to merge domestic flight operations with its international terminal.

Work on the infrastructure revamp is expected to get underway early next year and take five years to complete, and when finished will see the current domestic terminal triple in size when accounting for shared kiosk based check-in for both international and domestic travellers.

The new combined space will feature large, light-filled spaces with views across the airfield to the Manukau Harbour, with a new transport hub outside the existing international terminal also planned, providing travellers with a revamped covered pickup/drop-off area, valet services, covered carpark area and an enclosed pedestrian bridge.

“We are really focussed on making the journey for people travelling both within New Zealand and linking with international flights as efficient, fast and seamless as possible,” Auckland Airport Chief Executive Officer Adrian Littlewood said.

“Auckland Airport’s performance is strongly linked to international departures and arrivals, so the sustained recovery of the trans-Tasman recovery will be a key milestone to guide the timing of the major construction changes,” he added.

Auckland Airport had advanced design work and contracts for a new domestic hub in place before the pandemic struck, but it was one of several major infrastructure projects scuttled or deferred by the NZ Government.

Before COVID-19, the airport saw approximately 30,000 people arriving and departing at the international terminal daily, a figure that has dropped by 97%.