Multi-billion-dollar investment in future of travel at Auckland Airport – Hotel Magazine

Auckland Airport is officially underway with the biggest redevelopment since the airport opened in 1966 with a brand-new domestic terminal to be fully integrated into the international terminal.

Auckland Airport has been consulting with its major airline customers since May 2011 on a replacement for the ageing domestic terminal and plans to build an integrated terminal. Over that time 21 concept designs have been developed by Auckland Airport and discussed with major airlines as part of the consultation process.

Auckland Airport’s Chair, Patrick Strange said that this is a major investment for Auckland Airport, one of which has been many years in the making.

“The domestic terminal is almost 60 years old and needs replacing. It’s nearing capacity and it’s no longer fit for purpose and hasn’t been for some time. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, we would already be well underway with its replacement,” said Strange.

“We have worked with major airlines for over a decade on this. We’ve considered all feedback, including potential alternative locations and even further delays to infrastructure development. All of this has been carefully thought through and we have made changes where appropriate, but now we need to get on with it,” Strange said.

Following an earlier decision in 2019, the Auckland Airport Board reaffirmed its commitment to the integration of domestic and international travel, giving approval for the project to move into the final stages of design as part of an estimated $3.9 billion construction programme to take place over the next five to six years.

The terminal integration programme, which has been a significant part of the airport’s wider 10-year-capital programme, will bring domestic travel and international travel together under the same roof for the first time since 1977, with an expansion at the eastern end of the existing international terminal building.

The integration programme is also an important enabler in allowing Auckland Airport to carry out key upgrades on the airfield to ensure the airport remains resilient.