December 2016 update
Auckland Airport is currently undertaking the most significant upgrades seen for several decades. The airport is currently spending more than $1 million every day on infrastructure improvements and expects at least this level of investment to be maintained over the next five years.
International departure terminal upgrade
Quite literally the biggest thing to happen over the last month at the international terminal has been the lifting into place of a 32 tonne steel truss that will form part of the new terminal roof. This – along with the installation of a further 9 truss pieces – required the assembly of the largest mobile crane in the country at Gate 1. We’re grateful for the patience and cooperation of our airline partners as we succesfully carried out this series of lifts in time to return Gate 1 to action well in time for the summer.
Other progress highlights include the re-opening of Baggage Belt 5 and the start of roofing over the new security screening space (the old eastern truck dock).
Inside the terminal, The Collection Point has been relocated to immediately adjacent to Think NZ. This has allowed us to make room for an additional security scanner, to enhance processing throughput by about 16% over summer.
Pier B extension
The footprint for the full Pier B extension works (Gates 17 and 18) is now clearly visible. The steel structure for the new Gate 17 is already under construction, while sub-structure works continue in the Gate 18 zone. All works are progressing to programme, with approximately 75 workers on site each day and over 50,000 work hours recorded to date. Gate 17 is scheduled to open in December 2017, with Gate 18 to follow by the end of March 2018.
Accelerated airfield works
Along from the Pier B extension works, and further out on the airfield, we have been battling Mother Nature to deliver two new remote Code F stands and a new Code F Taxiway in time for use this summer peak season. These stands, which opened this week, are both capable of accommodating an A380 or two smaller aircraft.
This area of the airfield really has been a hive of activity – the combined works representing the largest concrete production project at the airport in decades. The footage below was taken out at Stand 74 on the day the fuel pipes were installed. Before you watch it, it’s worth considering the following stats that tell the story of a very big job done in a short space of time:
- 18,000 cubic metres of concrete
- 7,000 tonnes of cement
- 130,000 tonnes of aggregate
- 5kms of subsoil drainage
- 200 truck movements per day
- Size of new pavement equivalent to 6 rugby fields
Ready for summer
December and January are always the busiest months of the year at our international terminal. Known as the summer peak, this year we expect around 150 international flights every day, which is more than 10% higher than last summer. We are also expecting more than 30,000 passengers to use the international terminal every day, which will be at least 15% higher than last summer on some days.”
Many of us have a standard routine when departing or arriving Auckland Airport. Just like last year, we recommend everyone allows an extra 30 minutes for travel through the international terminal over the next couple of months. This will help ensure they have a relaxed journey. They should also give themselves extra time to travel to and from the airport, given the high level of roadworks happening around the Auckland region this summer.
Auckland Airport has been working closely with all stakeholders at the airport, including the airlines and joint border agencies, to ensure the airport can operate efficiently and effectively during the busy summer period.
Auckland Airport has also continued to make improvements to help support the growth in international passengers and aircraft this summer, including:
- installing 45 mobile international self-service check-in kiosks;
- reconfiguring its international check-in area to provide 13 more service counters;
- upgrading the back-of-house international baggage handling system;
- building a new taxiway and a new fully-serviced airfield stand, and enhancing two remote airfield stands to accommodate larger international aircraft;
- opening new female toilet facilities in the international arrivals area; and
- installing new large scale 75-inch Flight Information Display Screens on the ground floor of the international terminal, to improve way-finding and to reduce congestion around smaller screens.
Once again this summer Auckland Airport has recruited extra staff, including more than 60 Passenger Experience Assistants, to help passengers at the airport. We have also worked with the New Zealand Aviation Security Service to:
- install a seventh security screen machine in the international departures area, increasing security processing capacity by around 16%; and
- increase the capacity of the international transit screening facility by an extra 200 passengers per hour, from 350 passengers to 540 passengers.
In addition to the above initiatives we have also been focused on a number of transport initiatives to improve travel times within the airport roading network:
- upgraded the Puhinui roundabout to help improve access to the airport from State Highway 20B/Puhinui Road;
- added 1,000 more car parks to our Park & Ride, mostly for use by staff working at the international terminal, to remove cars from the inner airport roads and to provide an additional 850 public car parks closer to the international terminal. A new valet parking service has also been introduced at our Park & Ride;
- introduced The Wait Zone at both the international and domestic terminals – this is the easiest way to pick up travellers, with free parking for 30 minutes just two minutes away from the terminals, and helps keep traffic moving in the drop-off/pick-up zones;
- completed a new taxi tender which has dropped the average taxi fare from the airport to the city centre by $30, with the cost of the journey now as low as $38;
- improved the traffic light phasing at the airport’s George Bolt Memorial Drive and Tom Pearce Drive intersection to improve traffic flows;
- developed new traffic management plans for use when the airport roading network is busy; and
- worked with NZTA to both improve state highway access to and from the airport and increase real time travel information for drivers.
Passengers can play their part to help keep things moving at the international terminal this summer by:
- booking a car park online, well ahead of their day of travel to maximise their choice of location and to secure a better deal;
- allowing 30 minutes extra for their journeys through the international terminal building;
- ensuring their hand luggage meets airline requirements;
- completing their international departure card before reaching Customs;
- ensuring any liquid, aerosol and gel containers in their hand luggage are not larger than 100ml, and are all placed in one re-sealable, transparent plastic bag (20cm x 20cm or smaller) and put in an easily accessible location;
- asking the person who is picking them up to park in The Wait Zone, until they receive a text or phone call saying you are ready for collection; and
- checking the Auckland Airport website and App for the latest flight and travel information.