The Press TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1981. Better Amenities At The Airport

Press, Volume C, Issue 29634, 3 October 1961, Page 14

The Press TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1981. Better Amenities At The Airport

Pressure for extensions to the terminal building is welcome evidence of the Christchurch City Council’s foresight in developing New Zealand’s finest municipal airport. The extent to which the demands upon terminal facilities would increase during the two years since the new building became available could scarcely have been predicted; but this is no reason for complaint. Both overseas and in New Zealand the need for continuous improvements at airports has been recognised for a long time. Amenities such as restaurants are especially important in a small country where industrial conditions restrict the availability of refreshments at times when travellers may want them most The terminal at Harewood has become so favourably known that to reduce its usefulness by civic parsimony would be very foolish. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the City Council will consider favourably representations by airline inter-

[ ests and others for the transfer of the restaurant to the roof. One of the many merits of the building is the ease with which it can be extended, without marring its aesthetic features. Passenger statistics for National Airways Corporation services suffice to show how the present congestion has arisen. During the year ended in March, 1961, 120,306 N.A.C. passengers used the terminal, compared with 85,784 in the previous year. To these must be. added the patrons of other airlines and upwards of 1100 men attached to the United States Antarctic Expedition. At week-ends especially, when the terminal is invaded by thousands of sightseers, the amenities are often inadequate. The original cost of this splendid building, including the cargo freight section, was about £361,000. An additional expenditure of perhaps £40,000 would be well worth while to maintain a* high standard of service and to keep pace with aviation progress.