New airport runway safety rules bring direct Wellington flights closer for Bay of Islands Airport

Far North District Council (FNDC) and Far North Holdings Ltd (FNHL) have welcomed new Government runway safety rules that remove a major obstacle to extending Bay of Islands Airport’s runway, bringing larger aircraft, more visitors and direct Wellington flights a step closer.

In a statement released on 7 August, Associate Transport Minister James Meager announced a new civil aviation rule would come into effect on 31 August, replacing existing Runway End Safety Area (RESA) requirements for regional airports with more flexible and cost-effective approaches to runway safety.

Minister Meager said the changes had the potential to provide better regional connectivity, as well as unlock economic development in provincial New Zealand.

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said the Government's decision was a major win for the Far North and the future growth of the Bay of Islands Airport.

"The Bay of Islands Airport is a taonga as one of the most important gateways into our region," Mayor Moko Tepania said.

"For the past year the Bay of Islands Airport has seen 123,000 passenger movements in and out of the Far North, so these changes pave the way for the runway extension needed to accommodate larger ATR aircraft and to potentially double that number.

"These new rule changes will ensure the Far North is connected to the rest of the country well into the future and could also potentially lead to a new direct flight from the Bay of Islands to Wellington. Bring it on!"

Under the previous rules, many regional airports faced the same runway safety requirements as major airports, making expansion and the introduction of larger aircraft costly and commercially challenging.

The new rules provide greater flexibility in how runway safety is achieved, allowing safety measures to be tailored to regional airport specific characteristics and risk profiles, while supporting more practical and efficient approval processes.

FNHL CEO Andy Nock said a longer runway at Bay of Islands Airport (which FNHL owns and operates) would allow larger ATR aircraft to operate at full capacity, unlocking further economic growth and tourism for the region.

He said FNHL had been advocating for change since 2019 and would be leading the way as one of the first airports to apply for the extension under the new rules.

"The rule change means we can extend within our boundaries without having to buy additional land and can move from operating 50-seat Dash 8 aircraft to accommodating the 68-seat ATR aircraft fully laden," Nock said.

"While this will impact all regional airports, we will be one of the first airports to apply under the new rules, so could see this new extension ready by late 2028 or end of 2029, subject to consent and funding.

"With Air New Zealand retiring its Dash 8 fleet, our economic study shows the runway extension would make Bay of Islands Airport the only airport north of Auckland able to accommodate the airline's ATR aircraft."

The proposed extension would increase the runway length at the Bay of Islands Airport from 1200m to 1500m.

The project is currently estimated to cost around $13 million, with a further $5 million required for a runway overlay.

Far North Holdings Ltd and  Office of the Mayor joint media release.

Photo caption: The recent announcement of the new RESA rules by Central Government means Bay of Islands Airport will now be able to extend its runway and welcome larger aircraft, more visitors and potentially direct flights to Wellington.