Tauranga Airport's $12.7m expansion

What the departures lounge of the new terminal is expected to look like. Photo: Supplied.

Travellers arriving at Tauranga Airport are only around a month away from having their baggage passed through the first stage of the airport's $12.7 million expansion programme.

'That will be operational in about a month, for the baggage handling,” says airport manager Ray Dumble.

'Phase two, which is along the front of the building where we have concreted, will be the new departures lounge and passenger arrival area. We are looking to have that done in October or November.”

The Koru lounge will follow on from that, with the total project completion expected by mid-December.

'When the right-hand end is completed, that'll actually be the passenger arrivals end,” says Ray.

'That's one of the things we have tried to do in this project - to stop the cross-over we have got in the middle of the terminal. Now we will have arrivals at one end and departures at the other, so there's no need to cross over.

'Within the next two weeks the concrete will be poured in front of the building and they will be starting to stand up the frames out the front.”

Significant planning has gone into keeping the terminal operating as normally as possible during construction, with the least amount of inconvenience to the public, tenants and operators, says Ray.

The expansion of the terminal will provide Tauranga with an internationally competitive regional airport which is intended to meet capacity demands up to and beyond 2027.

It is an airport-funded project. Interest and debt servicing will come from the airport's current cash reserves and its commercial revenues going forward. No rate funding is required for the project.

The floor area of the terminal will more than double, from 1700m2 to 3800m2, allowing more space for passengers. This will include separate check-in and arrival areas and increased space for back of house operations, allowing for future upgrades and a new, larger Air New Zealand Regional Lounge.

The new check-in area will have state-of-the-art check-in kiosks, a baggage drop belt and a new externally accessible courier and cargo office. The improvements will also result in a shorter walk from the terminal for boarding. The airport café will be increased and improved.

The existing terminal was originally constructed in 1967 and, with some expansions and modifications, has served Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty well for the past 50 years.

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3 comments

Council backed

Posted on 02-04-2018 16:12 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Of course, it looses about $2m annually so of course TCC will pluogh endlessly ratepayers money into it to make it bigger and so loose even more money annually. TCC just can not help themselves but pick the last horse in the race, the biggest loudest noise in the place, the thing least wanted and least economical and least beneficial, and the absolute essential factor is that there must be no hope at all of every getting a penny back for any reason. That is the positive side of it all!


Can't wait

Posted on 02-04-2018 19:33 | By Sg1nz

A timely upgrade and self funding, so even better


Profit or Loss?

Posted on 03-04-2018 10:12 | By waiknot

As I understand it,the actual airport operation makes a loss. This is offset by the profit council made from the business activities based on airport land. Many of which would not be their had the airport not existed. Now add into the mix the growth and business activities in Tauranga that would be based elsewhere without the TGA AIRPORT. The Airport is a must have for Tauranga.


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