Major Airport Expansion Announced

Strong  passenger  growth  and  the  resulting  demands  on  existing  airport  infrastructure  has   led  Hawke’s  Bay  Airport  Limited  to  finalise  plans  for  a  major  airport  terminal  expansion   (subject  to  shareholder  approval)  proposed  to  commence  in  mid-­‐October  with  completion   touted  for  February  2019.

PMA HBAL Air side cropped

Hawke’s  Bay  Airport  chief  executive  Nick  Story  said  passenger  movements  have  risen  37   percent  over  the  last  two  years  to  652,000  passengers  and  the  planned  multi-­‐million-­‐dollar   expansion  will  see  the  terminal  increase  in  size  from  2500m2  to  3800m2  to  accommodate   the  growth  in  passenger  movements  and  visitors  to  the  airport.    

“We  have  had  exponential  growth  over  the  last  couple  of  years  due  to  a  significant  increase   in  airline  capacity,  driven  by  the  arrival  of  a  second  airline  in  Jetstar,  and  Air  New  Zealand   switching  to  aircrafts  with  larger  capacity,  all  of  which  has  created  competition  for   passengers  and  enabled  growth  of  the  regions  business  and  tourism  sectors.”    

“This  will  be  our  most  significant  upgrade  since  2003  and  we  are  creating  an  entirely  new   terminal  experience  with  the  departure  and  arrival  areas  to  be  reconfigured,”  said  Mr  Story.

The  airline  check  in  areas  will  be  at  the  southern  end  of  the  terminal  and  a  new  automated   baggage  handling  system  at  the  northern  end.  There  will  also  be  a  dedicated  arrivals  gate,   rather  than  the  current  arrangement,  which  has  departures  and  arrivals  using  the  same   gates.    

A  new  centrally  located  café  will  cater  for  110  people,  while  other  changes  include  new   bathrooms,  offices  for  Air  New  Zealand,  Jet  Star  and  Sound  Air.  The  Air  New  Zealand   regional  lounge  will  be  expanded  significantly  and  the  rental  car  concierge  area  is  being   relocated  within  the  terminal.    

“The  airport  is  a  major  gateway  for  the  region  and  we  need  to  accommodate  current  and   future  demand  by  increasing  the  terminal’s  capacity  as  well  as  improving  the  passenger  and   visitor  experience.    

“The  new  terminal  has  been  designed  in  a  way  that  we  can  cater  for  further  growth”  said  Mr   Story.  “The  majority  of  the  complex  design  elements  are  in  the  centre  of  the  building   making  additional  expansion  to  the  north  comparably  simple  and  cost  efficient.”        

  The  project  will  be  funded  by  Hawke’s  Bay  Airport  Limited,  enabled  by  the  Airport   Company’s  strong  financial  performance  and  will  not  require  any  financial  support  from   current  shareholders  Napier  City  Council,  Hastings  District  Council  and  the  Crown.    

The  new-­‐look  terminal  has  been  designed  by  local  architects  PMA  with  supporting  design   inspiration  from  local  artist  and  Mana  Ahuriri  representative  Jacob  Scott.      

PMA  architect  Chris  Ainsworth  said  the  collaboration  with  Mr  Scott  was  based  on  using  the   terminal  form  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Kuaka,  which  nests  at  the  nearby  Ahuriri  estuary.  The   terminal  has  been  designed  in  the  shape  of  a  Kuaka  (godwit)  bird  in  flight.      

“A  key  consideration  of  the  brief  was  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Hawke’s  Bay  area  ,  which  had  to   be  integrated  into  the  building’s  architecture  and  not  simply  applied  later  on  by  using   artwork.  It  is  important  to  tell  our  story,  in  what  is  one  of  the  key  gateways  into  the  Hawke’s   Bay.      

“The  Kuaka  achieves  some  amazing  feats,  flying  over  8,000  kilometres  every  year  to  Alaska,   which  is  pretty  incredible  for  such  a  small  bird,”  Mr  Ainsworth  said.    

The  Kuaka  inspired  shape  will  be  further  showcased  inside  the  terminal  using  a  modern   approach  to  traditional  Maori  carving,  which  was  used  on  the  award-­‐winning  Massey   University  College  of  Creative  Arts  in  Wellington  by  Mr  Scott.      

“There  is  a  lot  of  history  with  aviation  and  flight  in  this  area,  whether  it  be  bird  or  place,  so   the  idea  is  to  carve  the  plywood  ceiling  and  utilize  the  texture  of  the  underside  of  the  Kuaka   wings  to  tell  a  cultural  story,”  Mr  Scott  said.      

Mr  Story  said  a  construction  project  plan  had  been  developed  to  enable  a  staged  approach   to  the  terminal  expansion,  ensuring  minimal  disruption  to  passengers  and  visitors  during   construction.  

The  check  in  area  will  remain  in  place,  while  a  new  check  in  is  built  and  temporary  facilities   for  baggage  claim,  a  small  café  and  a  temporary  Air  New  Zealand  lounge  will  be  set  up   outside  the  terminal.    

“There  will  be  a  concerted  effort  to  ensure  that  the  airport  continues  to  operate  as   smoothly  as  possible  over  the  construction  period.”    

The  project  is  now  out  to  tender  with  a  lead  construction  contractor  expected  to  be   appointed  in  early  October  with  its  immediate  priority  being  to  build  the  temporary  facilities   before  construction  of  the  expanded  terminal  commences.      

A  new  entranceway  to  the  airport  is  also  under  development  at  the  intersection  of   Watchman  Road,  SH2  and  Meeanee  Quay.  This  project  will  be  completed  by  August  2018.    

For  further  information  please  contact  Nick  Story  027  580  9515