Nelson Airport (New Zealand) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelson Airport Te Papa Waka Rererangi o Whakatū
Nelson Airport, 1977
IATA: NSN ICAO: NZNS
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Nelson Airport Limited
Location	Nelson, New Zealand
Elevation AMSL	17 ft / 5 m
Coordinates	41°17′54″S 173°13′16″E / 41.29833°S 173.22111°E / -41.29833; 173.22111
Website	www.NelsonAirport.co.nz
Map
NSN Location in New Zealand Marlborough
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 02R/20L 1,347 4,420 Asphalt 02L/20R 731 2,398 Grass/Dirt 06/24 670 2,200 Grass/Dirt 17/35 600 1,970 Grass/Dirt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 1,000,373
Sources: Airport, AIP, DAFIF,

Nelson Airport (Māori: Te Papa Waka Rererangi o Whakatū) (IATA: NSN, ICAO: NZNS) is located 6 km (3.7 mi) south-west of central Nelson, New Zealand, in the suburb of Annesbrook. Approximately 1.2 million passengers and visitors use the airport terminal annually. Passenger numbers for the 2017 financial year were 1,000,373, up from 865,203 in 2016.

It is the sixth-busiest airport in New Zealand by passenger numbers and seventh by aircraft movements, as well as being the busiest New Zealand airport without any scheduled international service. The airport has an Air New Zealand Koru Lounge.

History

Bristol 170 Freighter unloading at Nelson, November 5, 1952

Construction of Nelson Airport commenced in 1937. In 2006, the airport received restricted international airport status and it has handled international private jets since then. The airport averages 60 commercial flights per day. The Airport precinct is home to 35 aeronautical and support businesses.

Nelson airport is the home base of Air Nelson operating under the Air NZ Link banner, which operates a fleet of 23 Bombardier Dash 8 Q300s on national air routes. Air New Zealand, Air Nelson's parent airline, recently expanded its Nelson base, investing 30 million dollars to develop the engineering and technical workshops. Air New Zealand then announced the Air Nelson maintenance facility would also handle fellow subsidiary Mount Cook Airline's fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft.

The airport has a single terminal building with 9 tarmac gates. A further 7 remote gates are located adjacent to the terminal.

In 2014, Nelson City Council deemed the main terminal of Nelson Airport an earthquake risk and at fault of possible liquefaction. The airport has been granted 10 years to upgrade the terminal to meet current building standards. The Nelson Airport management on 8 September 2015 have decided to rebuild the terminal instead of renovating the existing complex as this will best meet the growth needs in the future. It was also announced that due to increased airline activity strong passenger growth could be expected over the next two years. It is estimated that by the end of 2017 there could be more than 1 million passengers per annum and over 300 flights per week at the airport.

On December 6, 2017, the airport inaugurated 270 new parking spaces and new exit barrier arms (the latter located near Air New Zealand's hangar on Trent Drive) in order to help with traffic flow during the development and expansion phase mentioned above.

The former Nelson Airport terminal in 2012

An Air New Zealand Link Dash 8 at Nelson in 2012.

Airlines and destinations

See also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto de Nelson para niños