PLANS FOR NEW AIRPORT WING

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31209, 5 November 1966, Page 1

PLANS FOR NEW AIRPORT WING

Plans of a new domestic wing at the Christchurch Airport—already approved in principle by the Christchurch City Council—were shown publicly for the first time yesterday at a meeting of airport users.

The airport manager (Mr A. I. R. Jamieson) said the cost would be about £250,000.

It would be financed by airport revenues rather than by rates, “and if we don’t quite make it we can raise a loan which we will be able to service,” he said.

Plans of the new wing, and related airport expansion, have been circulated to airport users, who will meet soon to complete details. Mr Jamieson said he expected the working drawings would be started early next year.

Mr Jamieson said that the National Airways Corporation had forecast that it would handle lj million passengers through Christchurch by 1975, and in the same year international carriers would handle 400,000 passengers. He estimated that by 1971 the present terminal building would be taken over completely by domestic airlines, and that a new international building would then be needed.

The proposed wing would extend some 420 ft from the existing terminal building on the airfield side.

It will have assembly areas, 10 gate positions (to handle 10 aircraft simultaneously), general waiting areas, and wide ways for pedestrians. The first floor of the wing will provide space for National Airways Corporation traffic office and operations areas.

A basement running the length of the wing will give accommodation for tarmac engineers, loaders, in-flight catering facilities, and an airconditioning plant. The plans show a new lounge for overseas arrivals and an additional departure lounge next to the duty-free shop. The existing ticket-centre will be rearranged and the concourse extended southwards another 50ft to occupy the existing passenger luggage-handling area. A new post office and additional entrances and exits will

be provided on the city side of the terminal building. There will also be shelters for bus pasengers. A new baggage-claim area will be incorporated in the existing freight depot at the south end of the building. Departure baggage will be handled in the new basement area on the airfield side of the terminal. Additional lounge space will be provided for passengers and visitors on the airfield side of the terminal. This will occupy most of the existing paved area out to the barrier fence. The present floor area of the terminal building is 72,250 sq ft. The overseaswing additions will occupy 5000 sq ft, the overseasdeparture lounge 1500 sq ft, and the domestic-wing additions 45,000 sq ft, giving a total area of 123,750 sq ft—an increase of 80 per cent. Cr. A. R. Guthrey, chairman of the City Council’s airport committee, said the plans represented the next major step forward in the development of the airport. They were just as ambitious as the original plan for the existing terminal building and the extension of the runways to jet capacity. The airport authority intended to spend about £500,900 on airport expansion in the next five years. This would include extension of the overseas wing, a new freight terminal, a complete replanning of the domestic-passenger terminal, a new domestic-freight

terminal, apron extensions, airfield improvements and taxiway extensions. “Although we shall be making requests to the Government for additional funds for airport development, we are proud of the fact that we are providing a large proportion of the money from our own resources,” he said. “Last year we made a profit of more than £lOO,OOO after providing for depreciation, reserves for runway renewals, and interest on loan moneys.” Cr. Guthrey said there had been no charge on the ratepayer and there would be no charge. Mr R. F. Wakefield, chief administration officer of the Department of Civil Aviation, commenting on the plans, said that Christchurch had always been the leader in progressive airport development.

Mr Wakefield said that 12 years ago income from all the civil airports in New Zealand was £16,000 a year. Now it was more than £1 million.