Auckland International airport will start a major airfield development programme in June that is expected to be completed in late 2021 as part of a long-term expansion plan.

The airfield project will focus on around 250,000sqm of land at the western end of the airport, adjacent to the international terminal, and result in the construction of a new taxiway, an extension of an existing taxiway, and building six new Code-F remote stands to park aircraft.

“The remote stands are designed to give us some head room, so that one day they can become physically connected gates to the terminal, as growth in airline and passenger numbers demands it over time,” says Auckland airport’s general manager, airport development and delivery Andre Lovatt.

The taxiways will improve aircraft movement around the airport and link the existing runway to a future second runway that will be built in the same area.

The airfield development programme is one of eight major projects the airport will undertake to ultimately allow it to handle the 40 million passengers and 260,000 flights projected by 2044. In the year to June 2018, the airport handled 20.5 million passengers and just over 174,000 aircraft movements.

Aside from the new runway, the airport has long-term plans to build new cargo and international arrivals facilities, renovate the existing domestic terminal, and eventually build a new domestic facility.

Source: Cirium Dashboard