Invercargill’s newly upgraded airport terminal is one of many reasons Southland finds itself in an “enviable position”, Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell says.

The Sir Tim Shadbolt terminal was formally opened to the public on Wednesday after the $3.7 million upgrade.

“Some may superficially see the work that has been taking place around us as a simple upgrade or facelift of an airport terminal, but I see it as something much bigger than that,” Mr Campbell said.

He said the upgrades all pointed to “growth, confidence and prosperity” in the region.

“[Southland] is a region that believes in itself and its future. We are proud of the place we call home ... we are the engine room that keeps New Zealand running.”

He also cited other significant investments into the city such as the new museum, the Langlands and Distinction hotels, and the Invercargill Central retail development.

Air New Zealand regional airports head Rachel Lilley said the airport looked “amazing”.

“We’re really pleased to have this as a workspace for our teams and pleased with the work you do to represent our brand and make sure our customers are welcome,” she said.

She described it as a “great example of what’s possible when we work with the airport to think about future growth”.

Invercargill Airport chief executive Stuart Harris said the terminal was a gateway to the region, describing it as “a place of first impressions and final impressions”.

“Outside these doors there are amazing things happening here, and up until now this terminal has not quite delivered on the same level of promise,” he said.

The airport now flowed “beautifully” and he said he no longer felt the need to “apologise for that space”.

“They often say that people don’t come to a region to visit the airport, they come for the region.

“Now the terminal doesn’t stand in the way of that enjoyment.”

He said the most notable upgrades were to aviation security, saying there was a real need for improvements.

“The equipment that was in there didn’t fit into the space and it needed to be upgraded, but instead of making the screening space bigger, we saw it as an opportunity for making the terminal flow better.”

Many of the changes related to how security and the Koru Lounge interacted, with Mr Harris saying they had to think about how things would work better for the airport itself.

“You can now just walk straight into the lounge without going through security, or in jet mode where you go through security and into the Koru Lounge.”

He believed this new system of aviation security was unique to Invercargill.

“We asked if there was any reason we couldn’t and they didn’t give us one so we decided to go ahead and make it work.”

He expressed gratitude to everyone involved including builders, project managers, architects, stakeholders and the wider team that works at the airport.

“Thank you for supporting us, we hope that this terminal is something we can enjoy for many years to come.”

Work began on the project last August and was largely completed in April, with some finishing touches added in June.

tayler.mutton@alliedmedia.co.nz