Larger planes scheduled for revamped BOI airport

A 2016 decision to upgrade Bay of Islands Airport is paying off with larger Air New Zealand aircraft now regularly scheduled to use the Northland transport hub.

Air New Zealand’s ATR72 aircraft began using the airport late last month and are scheduled for one return service between Auckland and Kerikeri each week. Until now, Air New Zealand exclusively used the 50-seater Q300 aircraft on all its services to Kerikeri. The ATR72 has an additional 18 seats and capacity for up to 68 passengers.

The $4.75 million upgrade to Bay of Islands Airport terminal was officially opened to passengers in 2019. It added more space for arrivals and departures and a separate luggage collection area easily handling the additional passengers from the new ATR services. The airport terminal upgrade was built by Far North Holdings Ltd (FNHL), the commercial and asset management arm of Far North District Council. The project received $1.75 million from the Government's Provincial Growth Fund.

FNHL owns Bay of Islands Airport, and also manages Kaitāia and Kaikohe airports on behalf of the council.

FNHL CEO Andy Nock says the arrival of the larger Air New Zealand ATR aircraft will further cement Northland’s connections with the rest of the country. “Our airports team has worked extensively with Air New Zealand to ensure the airport’s readiness for this new service.

“This caps off a solid summer for Bay of Islands Airport with record passenger and flight numbers.”

Air New Zealand Regional Affairs Manager Jason Dawson says using the two aircraft types on its Kerikeri services would help reliability, with the ATR aircraft providing another scheduling option should a Q300 service be disrupted.

“We know any disruption to travel plans is incredibly frustrating for our customers,” Dawson says.

“While weather is the most common reason we have to cancel flights, we have been looking closely at what we can control to build more resilience into our service.

“Having our crew trained to operate the ATR in and out of Kerikeri means if there are issues with a Q300, the ATR could potentially be used as an alternative, if one is available.”

Dawson says the larger aircraft would help get more customers to where they need to be in the event of Air New Zealand needing to cancel a service and put on a recovery flight.

Plane spotters at Bay of Islands Airport can tell the difference between the Q300 and ATR by looking at the wheels, with the landing gear mounted in the wings of the Q300 but located in the body of the ATR.

FNHL is the commercial and asset management arm of Far North District Council. It manages property, maritime and transport assets on behalf of Far North ratepayers and is focused on boosting investment and employment for the benefit of Northland communities.