[Missing Credit]Milford Sound airport.Photo: Stephen Jaquiery It is a long time to hang on. After 70 long years, the Milford Sound Airport is to get a toilet. The Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport has applied to the Department of Conservation for a concession to construct, operate and maintain a public toilet and private pilot’s shelter at Milford Airport in Fiordland National Park for a period of 30 years. As the aerodrome is in a national park, Doc had to be consulted. It has put the proposal out for submission with a closing date of September 14. The first recorded airport landing at Milford Sound occurred in 1938. In 1952, the first primitive airstrip was constructed and planes landed. In 1956, the runway became fit for regular tourist services. Air Milford operations manager Antony Sproull said they had been waiting for decades for a toilet to arrive. "They've never had one there. The only thing they have is a toilet in the tower, but they've locked the pilots out of there now,” Mr Sproull said. “Typically, we try and get them [tourists] to the boat terminal because we're probably talking over 100,000 people going through that airfield every year and of those 98% are going to the boat. So, they just have to hold until we get them to the boat terminal.” Many do not make it and end up heading to the bushes. Mr Sproull said people might want to fly back with them and arrive in the terminal expecting there to be a toilet. But a quick five-minute walk to the cafe had to be done to get to a toilet. Mr Sproull’s father Hank Sproull, the Air Milford chief executive, said earlier this year he was disgusted there was no toilet at the airport. He said every day people would ask where the toilet was and he had no answer, he said. He could not be contacted yesterday. OTAGO DAILY TIMESMilford Sound Airport. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery A Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport spokesperson said Milford Sound Airport had no dedicated public toilet facilities available for aerodrome users. The proposed facility was intended to meet basic hygiene, health and safety expectations for pilots, passengers, staff and visitors using the aerodrome. The construction of the toilet facility was proposed to be an off-site construction, which will make the construction process very quick. As well as the concession, a building consent from Southland District Council was needed. From the time of receiving consents there would be three to four months of construction, depending on weather.The toilet was projected to cost $229,000. The toilet block would be connected to the sewage system owned by Milford Sound Tourism, which had provided its approval for the connection. ‘‘
