| 13 T T Virginia Wright Nelson Airport on a runway to growth The $10m apron extension will mean all the aircraft will soon be parking equidistant from the walkway to the terminal - a distinct improvement on the current situation. Nelson Airport REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT When Brendan Cook took up his position as CEO of Nelson Airport last October, the contract for the much-needed replacement of the existing 15,000sqm apron and adding an additional 5000sqm had just been signed. Brendan had most recently been the regional general manager for Queensland Airports Ltd, which owns and operates four of Australia’s regional hubs, including the Gold Coast Airport. When he saw the job listed, it was an opportunity he couldn’t resist: to take the reins and guide the airport to a strategic position, with the ability to serve the region now and in the years to come. “Nelson Airport’s investing in its future. Focusing on what that future looks like for the airport, and the region as a whole, is something I want to be part of. We hadn’t planned on moving to New Zealand, but we’re pretty outdoorsy people with two young boys who love hiking and mountain biking, so we couldn’t live in a better place,” Brendan explains. Airport projects generally operate on a large scale, needing careful planning, and Nelson’s apron project is no exception. Not only must they dig up and fully replace and extend the asphalt that’s had its lifespan extended through patch repairs more than once, they are also replacing and upgrading the underlying multi-layered pavement construction to meet modern aviation standards. They have to do it all while maintaining a fully operational and bustling regional airport (Nelson is New Zealand’s busiest regional airport, welcoming around 900,000 passengers a year). Brendan is grateful for the successful co-operation between the construction team and the airline partners in coming up with the six-stage programme allowing this to happen. The apron extension may complicate things in the short term, but it means all the aircraft will soon be parking equidistant from the walkway to the terminal, which is a distinct improvement. “It’s a $10 million project expected to take the best part of a year, but it’s one of our biggest assets. It’s used continuously all day every day, and has to deliver a reliable service for aircraft for the next 20 years. “Having a shorter uncovered walk for customers means a better customer experience outcome, which we always have front of mind,” says Brendan. Along with the existing customer-friendly terminal and the apron project now well underway, the airport must anticipate the expected regional growth – thinking ahead, for example, to a future runway extension and ensuring the land they might need will be available when the time comes. It’s all part of Brendan’s determination to maintain Nelson Airport’s status as a well-connected regional hub for aviation in the top of the south. “Ideally, we want to grow our services to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, while also growing our pointto-point domestic connections so people can travel directly to where they want to go without having to go through other centres. That’s what our customers want,” he explains. He anticipates a future of new connections with additional regional airlines, bringing increasing numbers to an airport ready to make the experience as customer-friendly as possible. Nelson Airport’s future is an integral part of the Nelson Tasman region’s future growth and development. Contact us Phone: 03 547 9789 Email: info@fultonhogan.com Web: fultonhogan.com Proud to Support Nelson Airport Apron Project in Strengthening our regions infrastructure PROUD TO SUPPORT NELSON AIRPORT APRON PROJECT • Three Waters Engineering • River & Stream Flow Monitoring • Water Quality Monitoring • Freshwater Management • Resource Consents • Environmental Impact Assessments • Contaminated Site Assessment & Remediation 14 McGlashen Ave, Richmond PO Box 25, Mapua info@envirolink.co.nz www.envirolink.co.nz
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