| Queenstown Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Queenstown Airport from Deerpark heights | |||
| IATA: ZQN – ICAO: NZQN
ZQN
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Queenstown Airport Corporation Ltd. | ||
| Location | Queenstown, New Zealand | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,171 ft / 357 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 05/23 | 5,830 | 1,777 | Asphalt |
| 14/32 | 2,362 | 720 | Grass |
| Statistics (2011) | |||
| Passengers | 924,248 | ||
| [1] | |||
Queenstown Airport (IATA: ZQN, ICAO: NZQN) is located in Frankton, Otago, New Zealand, and serves the resort town of Queenstown. The airport handled 924,248 airline scheduled passengers for the year ending June 2011.,[2] with passenger numbers growing rapidly.
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The majority of scheduled flights are domestic, with a few international flights weekly to Australia. The winter ski seasons are busy with extra international flights being flown by Qantas (Boeing 737-400/ Boeing 737-800), Pacific Blue (Boeing 737-800) and Air New Zealand (Airbus A320s / Boeing 737-300s). Summers are increasingly becoming more popular also with Air New Zealand and Qantas announcing extra services during the popular summer months. In September 2007 the airport completed a $31 million upgrade with increased terminal capacity and an extended apron for international flights. Weather permitting, there is substantial daily charter traffic of light aircraft (mostly Britten-Norman Islander, Cessna 206, Cessna 172) to Milford Sound and on sightseeing trips. Helicopters are also very active.
| Airlines | Destinations | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | Auckland, Christchurch | Domestic |
| Air New Zealand | Sydney Seasonal: Melbourne, Brisbane |
International |
| Air New Zealand operated by Mount Cook Airline | Christchurch, Rotorua, Wellington | Domestic |
| Jetstar | Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington [3] | Domestic |
| Jetstar | Melbourne, Sydney [3] | International |
| Qantas | Sydney Seasonal: Brisbane, Melbourne |
International |
| Virgin Australia | Sydney Seasonal: Brisbane |
International |
In July 2011 newly installed runway lights were turned on for the first time. Airport management expects the lighting upgrade to lower diversion incidents at the airport due to low visibility. Queenstown is the last major airport in New Zealand to receive such an upgrade. The 2 million dollar project included 34 transformers, 25 km of airfield lighting cable, 124 lights, and was funded by Airways NZ [4] In June 2008, Queenstown Airport Corporation announced plans to install approach, runway and passenger area lighting. Currently Queenstown airport has only Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI) available for pilot aid, so flying is limited to daylight hours only. The installation of this additional equipment could see flights arriving as late as midnight, although proposed night flights are controversial within the local community.[5] Announcements in June 2010 were made with plans to triple the size of the baggage area to handle the large increases in growth and the addition of the extra airlines that have started flying into Queenstown. Plans are also in place to increase the size of the international arrivals hall.[6]
On 8 July 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited, the operator of Auckland Airport, announced it had entered into an agreement to take a 24.99% shareholding in Queenstown Airport Corporation Limited and form a strategic alliance between the two airports. The shareholding will cost NZ$27.7 million, through the issue of new shares. The alliance is expected to generate an extra 176,000 passengers through Queenstown Airport. Auckland Airport has an option to increase its shareholding in Queenstown Airport to 30-35% at any time up to 30 June 2011, subject to the approval of the Queenstown Lakes District Council. The new share capital from would allow Queenstown Airport to fund growth of the airport's operating capacity and to pay regular dividends back to the community via the Queenstown Lakes District Council shareholding.[7][8]
On 22 June 2010, a late-running Pacific Blue Flight DJ89 flight to Sydney took off from Queenstown. At the time, the airport had no runway lights, and the airline mandated a departure curfew of 30 minutes before evening civil twilight, allowing enough time for the aircraft to return to the airport in case of an emergency. The Boeing 737-800 took off on a departure requiring a visual segment after curfew, and in poor weather. The take off was deemed an endangerment to the safety of the 140 passengers and crew aboard by the Civil Aviation Authority.[9][10] Passengers described a distressing takeoff procedure, with the Boeing flying very low above Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountain terrain. Both pilots were suspended over the incident, and in April 2011, the flight's captain was charged under the Civil Aviation Act with unnecessary endangerment. As of August 2011, the case is before the court.[11][12][13]
Queenstown Airport came seventh in PrivateFly.com's 2011 survey to find the world's best airport approaches.[14]