| 27 Whanganui Airport / Fulton Hogan +64 27 378 8002 cmchaulage@gmail.com Proudly Supporting Whanganui Airport & Fulton Hogan Catering for all your transport needs +64 6 348 4843 acsurveys.co.nz T T Sue Russell Airport upgrade improves efficiency The project has seen a new parallel taxiway built, enabling aircraft to safely access the ends of the runway for take-off and to vacate the runway after landing. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT “Their team was great, very accommodating of all the special requirements and understood how important aircraft safety was during the construction.” Manager of Whanganui Airport Phil McBride says completion of the new parallel taxiway has greatly improved the operational efficiency of the airport while enhancing safety protocols at the busy facility. Funded jointly by Whanganui District Council and the Ministry of Transport, the project has seen a new parallel taxiway built, enabling aircraft to safely access the ends of the runway for take-off and to vacate the runway after landing. “It’s meant that pilots aren’t waiting to backtrack along the main runway to get into position when another aircraft is landing,” Phil says. Initially the plan was to build a partial parallel taxiway with a budget of $3.6 million funded by Council; however, in August 2025, Associate Transport Minister James Meager subsequently announced government would come to the party to the tune of $3.35 million, enabling completion of the taxiway’s full length, something, Phil says has really future-proofed the busy airport. Working on development of the new taxiway was Fulton Hogan, who had previously resealed the airport’s main runway in 2023. Phil says the company was excellent to work with, understanding fully the strict aviation rules that governed how they operated during construction. “You can imagine that any work on an airport’s runway and taxiways requires meticulous preparation and ensuring nothing is left behind.” Back in 2019 aircraft movement in and out of Whanganui Airport increased significantly with the arrival of the pilot training academy on the site. This prompted a full safety review, which spurred the decision to improve aircraft movement infrastructure. “We could see the greatest risk we had at the airport was the risk of aircraft backtracking and to remove that risk the parallel taxiway was proposed. The new taxiway can’t be used by Air Chathams due to the size and weight of their aircraft, but it is suited to 95% of the other flights in and out.” And as an additional blessing, the project has come in just under budget of the $6.7 million provided, something, Phil says is like the icing on the cake. Whanganui Airport is approaching 60,000 aircraft movements per year, averaging approximately 140 every day — 70 arrivals and 70 takeoffs. Along with Air Chathams who fly return flights to Auckland three times a day, the airport is also home to Air Whanganui who operate an air ambulance and charter service, Mid West Helicopters, Ravensdown Aerowork and the local Whanganui Aero Club. “A new pilot training academy has just begun operations at the airport, so, along with all the other activity, you can imagine that when the taxiway was being constructed it had to be carefully managed.” During construction, Phil says between 10–15 Fulton Hogan staff were working on the ground. “Their team was great, very accommodating of all the special requirements and understood how important aircraft safety was during the construction. The whole project went very well with minimal disruption to daily flights in and out.” Whanganui Airport is now the sixth busiest airport in New Zealand (by total aircraft movements) — a fact that may surprise people — with about 50,000 people using the terminal. Phil says, with the completion of the parallel taxiway, the airport is well appointed to serve its community and growing demand which will inevitably come. “I can only see demand increasing. We’re a gateway to a significant part of New Zealand’s North Island, within easy reach of Taranaki to the north, the central plateau and all it has to offer, and south through to Kapiti, Wellington.”
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