Hamilton International Airport

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Hamilton International Airport
IATA: HLZ - ICAO: NZHN
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Hamilton International Airport
Serves		Hamilton, New Zealand
Elevation AMSL		172 ft (52 m)
Coordinates		37°51′60″S, 175°19′55″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
08/26	2,339	713	Grass
18L/36R	6,431	1,960	Asphalt
18R/36L	2,592	790	Grass

For the airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, see Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport.

The Hamilton International Airport (IATA: HLZ, ICAO: NZHN) is an airport located in the Waikato region, in New Zealand.

1 History
2 Capabilities
3 Airlines and Destinations
4 External links

[edit] History

As the world prepared for World War II, it became clear that a landing strip had to be built in the Hamilton area. By 1935, the air strip was already in service, as a stop over for war airplanes that would land after a long journey. Services included refueling as well as food and rest for the incoming pilots.

Tourism by air began to blossom soon after the war was over, and, in 1950, the airport received its first commercial flight. In 1988, one of the airport's runways was expanded, to accommodate the increasing number of international flights coming from Australia.

In 1989, the New Zealand government sold the airport to Hamilton City Council (50%); Waikato District Council (15.625%); Waipa District Council (15.625%); Matamata-Piako District Council (15.625%); and Otorohonga District Council (3.125%). This would prove to be an important deal in the airport's history, as unprecedented growth began for the airport after that.

1994 marked the first year in which the airport became involved in the now famous Trans Tasman air routes, with charter flights provided on Boeing 757s by Kiwi International Airlines of New Zealand (not to be confused with the United States based Kiwi International Air Lines). New Zealand's Kiwi, however, went bankrupt in 1996, but, by that time, another airline, Freedom Air, had begun flying the same route with Boeing 737 aircraft. Freedomair ultimately decided to make Hamilton International Airport their company hub.

In 1995, a domestic terminal was opened, to respond to passenger demand for flights from Wellington and vice-versa. Ansett, with their Ansett NZ division, operated flights to Wellington from Hamilton from then and until 2000, when the Ansett flights were overtaken by Qantas, with their own New Zealand domestic flights division. Qantas NZ operated at the airport until 2004. Currently, a number of airlines fly the route.

In 1996, the airport's main terminal was expanded, in hopes of attracting more international airlines. The same year the Hamilton Airport Motor Inn was developed to cater for travellers using the airport.

A NZ$15.3 million expansion of the terminal commenced in 2005 and will feature a 60% increase in floorspace with improved baggage handling areas, better international and domestic check-in space, and passenger security screening. Completion is scheduled for late 2007.

Hugh McCarroll became the airport's chief executive in the early 2000s until he retired in February 2006. The new chief executive is Chris Doak, formerly General Manager, Growth and Development for electricity utilities company WEL Networks Ltd.

[edit] Capabilities

Currently, the airport can accommodate many different types of jets, including Airbus A300's, as well as the Boeing 737 and 757's. The largest airplanes that are authorized to land at Hamilton are Boeing 767's, which are decisively smaller than the Boeing 747's or A340's, for example.

The airport operates twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.