Airport starts year with record numbers

Queenstown Airport set a record in January, with almost 73,000 domestic passengers passing through its terminal during the month.

The growth is expected to continue for another 12 months and is the reason for a $7 million capital works programme to be carried out next summer, Queenstown Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson said yesterday.

A total of 72,925 domestic passengers were recorded at the airport last month - the previous record was 71,011 in August 2010.

International passengers continued to flock to the resort, with 75.4% more (18,105) passing through the airport in January 2011 than in January 2010 (10,320).

December was a record month for international passengers, with an 89.9% lift in numbers (13,340) from December 2009 (7024).

Traditionally, winter was the most popular time for international visitors, with 25,272 arriving last July and 25,140 in August, up from 19,153 and 17,999 in July and August 2009.

The airport had had almost 20% growth in total passengers compared to 2009, with 887,621 passengers recorded in the 12 months to January 2011, up from 746,881 for the previous period.

Mr Sanderson said additional services from Air New Zealand, Qantas and Jetstar had boosted visitor numbers from overseas.

Jetstar had introduced direct transtasman flights from Melbourne and the Gold Coast in December, while Air New Zealand and Qantas had extended their services betweenMelbourne and Sydney.

Domestically, direct flights between Auckland and Queenstown had been popular, as had late flights on Air New Zealand over summer.

"I think we will see domestic, now until winter, drop off and then I believe it will get up to those sorts of numbers again through winter, maybe a little bit larger.

"I think [reaching 100,000 passengers] will be a little way off," Mr Sanderson said.

However, runway lights - expected to be operational by the end of June - would help with passenger numbers.

"Air New Zealand has been adding on late services on Sunday nights, leaving Queenstown at 8.15pm.

It's the whole package that allows people to do a full weekend in Queenstown.

They get a full Saturday and Sunday.

"It's all about growth, but the challenge is we have also got to keep up with supplying a service that people expect in an airport."

There would be a 36% rise in international flights this winter, up from 22 a week to 30, with three international flights arriving in an hour at Queenstown Airport.

Mr Sanderson said the airport was expanding services to cater for the expected growth.

"We do need to expand our arrivals hall.

We have made a commitment we will do that.

"We'll be putting in place an additional jet stand.

There are six jet stands and there are times in winter when we will need seven."

The baggage reclaim area and international arrivals hall would be temporarily extended this winter, with permanent extensions being built next summer.

"If we have got that number of jets [three landing in an hour] our current facilities are not large enough.

The international arrivals hall ... [can process] one jet at a time, which is about 150 passengers.

"The last thing we want is those [additional] passengers remaining on board until the arrivals area clears."

The temporary extensions would cost $125,000, with the permanent extensions budgeted at $7 million, Mr Sanderson said.

"It's been a very busy summer and right into the 2012 summer we're obviously going to get a carry-through."

This year, visitors will be coming for the snow season, the 2011 American Express Queenstown Winter Festival, the 2011 Winter Games NZ and the Rugby World Cup.

 

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