- Rotorua International Airport
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Rotorua International Airport 
A Boeing 737-300 of the now defunct Freedom Air taxis along Runway 36L on 26 October 2005 IATA: ROT – ICAO: NZRO Summary Airport type Public Operator Rotorua Regional Airport Limited Serves Rotorua and inland Bay of Plenty Location Rotokawa, Rotorua, New Zealand Elevation AMSL 285 m / 936 ft Coordinates 38°06′33″S 176°19′02″E / 38.10917°S 176.31722°ECoordinates: 38°06′33″S 176°19′02″E / 38.10917°S 176.31722°E Website Map Location of airport in North Island
ROTRunways Direction Length Surface m ft 18R/36L 1,762 5,781 Asphalt 18L/36R 773 2,536 Grass Statistics (2010) Passengers 700,000 Source: [1] Rotorua International Airport is an airport in Rotorua, New Zealand (IATA: ROT, ICAO: NZRO). It originally opened in 1963, with a 1378m x 30m sealed runway so that it could accommodate National Airways Corporation's Douglas DC-3 and Fokker F27 aircraft, replacing the old Whakarewarewa Aerodrome. The old Aerodrome was just north of Sala Street and is now a suburban area.
Today it has more frequent operations, with Air New Zealand's regional subsidiary's. The busiest route is from Rotorua to Christchurch which is operated by Mount Cook Airlines using the ATR 72-500 aircraft. Sometimes an Air New Zealand Boeing 737-300 operates these flights. Currently the largest aircraft servicing the airport are Air New Zealand's Airbus A320s which operate on the Rotorua to Sydney route.
Contents
Expansion
An Air New Zealand aircraft parked at Rotorua.
Rotorua has two runways. The main runway is the sealed 18R/36L. There is also a much shorter parallel grass runway, 18L/36R.[2] In 2002, the airport's asphalt runway was extended to 1622m.[citation needed] Plans to increase the main runway's length in two stages, initially by 150 metres at the northern end followed by 487 metres at the southern end (including newly-mandated overrun areas), were approved in 2008 after a lengthy consultation process and court battle.[3][4][5][6][7] The initial increase in length would allow operations by Airbus A320 aircraft to Australia, albeit with capacity restrictions, while the southern extension would allow full-capacity flights by these aircraft.[8]
Construction began in 2008.[9] Construction was completed in 2009, extending the runway to 1,762 metres in length.[2] The total length of the runway and the overrun areas is now 2,304 metres.[2] The runway extensions, in conjunction with the already-completed upgrade of the terminal building and facilities,[10] allows regular commercial jet services between Rotorua and Australia. After the upgrade was completed Air New Zealand announced that it would begin international flights between Rotorua and Sydney on 12 December 2009, despite the airline opposing the expansion earlier, before construction began.[7] These flights across the Tasman operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays During peak times but are often reduced to one flight a week during off peak times.[11]
Opposition
The conversion of Rotorua Airport to an international airport has encountered both strong opposition and support from locals.[3][12] Critics cite concern over on-going debt servicing and operating costs, anticipated noise levels, the destruction of natural forest and privately owned planted trees to accommodate the newly lowered flight path, and potential safety issues. The Ngati Uenukukopako tribe, whose marae is located at the northern end of the runway, have taken a complaint to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, and residents at the southern end of the runway continue to resist the Airport Company's programme to enforce cutting of trees which have been a longstanding feature of the area.[13][14][15]
Location
The airport is located around 9.17 kilometres (5.70 mi) northeast of Rotorua on Te Ngae Road (SH30).
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations Type Air New Zealand Sydney International Air New Zealand operated by Air Nelson Wellington Domestic Air New Zealand operated by Eagle Airways Auckland, Wellington Domestic Air New Zealand operated by Mount Cook Airline Christchurch, Queenstown Domestic Sunair Gisborne, Kerikeri, Napier, Whangarei Domestic White Island Flights operated by East Bay Aviation Whakatane Domestic References
- ^ [http://www.rotorua-airport.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Economic-Impacts-of-Rotorua-Airport-Draft.pdf ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF ROTORUA REGIONAL AIRPORT]
- ^ a b c NZ AIP Rotorua airport plate retrieved 19 December 2009.
- ^ a b Airport extension delayed (The Daily Post) 2006-12-27
- ^ "Rotorua airport expansion faces hurdles". National Business Review. Newsroom.co.nz. 13 June 2007. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/rotorua-airport-expansion-faces-hurdles. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ Rotorua runway extension hits snag (The Daily Post) 2009-02-26
- ^ Hapu accuses council of racism over airport compo plan (The Daily Post) 2007-06-26
- ^ a b O'Rourke, Simon (10 May 2007). "Green light for runway that could open tourist gateway". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10438843. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ nzherald.co.nz (9 January 2006). "Rotorua gets ready for international flights". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10362845.
- ^ "$24 million airport project for Rotorua". The New Zealand Herald. The Daily Post. 19 February 2008. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/airports/news/article.cfm?c_id=114&objectid=10493345. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Rotorua Airport's new car park system taking off". The New Zealand Herald. The Daily Post. 28 April 2006. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/airports/news/article.cfm?c_id=114&objectid=10379239. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Air NZ unveils new Rotorua-Sydney flights". The New Zealand Herald. 7 August 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10589276. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Council accused of arrogance over runway". The New Zealand Herald. The Daily Post. 8 February 2006. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/airports/news/article.cfm?c_id=114&objectid=10367302. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Iwi attacks Rotorua airport plans". National Business Review. Newsroom.co.nz. 26 June 2007. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/iwi-attacks-rotorua-airport-plans. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Maori claim airspace above Rotorua marae". The Dominion Post. 24 June 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/archive/national-news/503459. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ The Trees of Te Ngae
Further reading
- Rotorua airport takes off (3:46) (TVNZ) 2007-05-28
- Virtual airborne tour of Rotorua (The New Zealand Herald) 2007-04-04
- Rotorua Airport Battle (6:05) (TVNZ) 2006-10-13
- Flights to Australia due next Christmas (The Daily Post) 2005-12-09
- International flights to start from Rotorua (The New Zealand Herald) 2005-12-08
- Greens join opposition to Rotorua Airport plan (The New Zealand Herald) 2005-04-12
External links
- Rotorua Airport Official Site
- Rotorua District Council Airport Services Site
- MetService weather observations and forecast at Rotorua Airport
- Bay of Plenty Regional Council Publication - Bay of Plenty Regional Airports Requirements - Final Report 2002-12-17
- Rotorua District Council Publication - Rotorua Regional Airport Development Strategy Designations and Plan Change 2005-12-16
- Rotorua District Council Publication - Rotorua Regional Airport - Trans-Tasman Demand and Economic Impact Assessment 2005-09
- Aviation Safety Network (ASN) - Rotorua Regional Airport profile
- World Aero Data - Rotorua Regional Airport profile
Airports in the Bay of Plenty Region
Rotorua International Airport · Tauranga Airport · Whakatane Airport
Categories:- Airports in New Zealand
- Rotorua
- Buildings and structures in Rotorua
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