Wanaka Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanaka Airport
Wanaka Airport terminal
IATA: WKA ICAO: NZWF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Wanaka Town Board and Management Committee
Location	Wanaka
Hub for	Aspiring Air
Elevation AMSL	1,142 ft / 348 m
Coordinates	44°43′21″S 169°14′45″E / 44.72250°S 169.24583°E / -44.72250; 169.24583
Website	www.wanakaairport.com
Map
WKA Location in New Zealand
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 11/29 3,937 1,200 Asphalt

Wanaka Airport (IATA: WKA, ICAO: NZWF) is an airport serving the resort town of Wanaka in Otago, New Zealand. The airport currently has no scheduled commercial flights, with Air New Zealand having ceased flights to the airport in 2013, but it serves as a base for scenic and charter flights to destinations such as Milford Sound and Mount Aspiring National Park. The airport is located beside State Highway 6, on a plateau above the small village of Luggate, and is 10 km south-east of Wanaka township. It was originally a private airstrip owned by Tim Wallis, but in 1985 it became the main commercial airport for Wanaka, replacing Mt Iron Aerodrome.

The Warbirds over Wanaka air show has been held biennially at the airport since 1988, regularly attracting crowds of more than 50,000 people. Other attractions, including the National Transport and Toy Museum and the Warbirds & Wheels Museum, are also located at the airport.

History

Wanaka was originally served by Mount Iron Aerodrome. By the early 1980s it was clear a new airport would be required to serve the town's growing tourism industry as Mount Iron's runway was too short for commercial aircraft with no possibility of extension. In 1984, the local council decided to create a new airport for the town by expanding a private airstrip to the south-east of the town, which had been owned by Tim Wallis.

On 19 March 2004, Air New Zealand began scheduled services from Wanaka to Christchurch through its subsidiary Eagle Airways, using 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. Larger aircraft, such as the Dash8-Q300, were occasionally used during periods of increased demand and airshow weekends. Air New Zealand ended scheduled services to Wanaka on 30 January 2013 after stating the route had never been profitable and showed no signs of improvement. Following the withdrawal of the national carrier, local businesses attempted to run a charter service during the ski season and asked Air New Zealand to consider reinstating services on a seasonal basis using larger aircraft, although neither of these efforts proved successful.

Operations

Scenic and charter operators are the main commercial users and include Aspiring Air, Glenorchy Air and Southernalpsair. There are extensive skydiving and helicopter operations and a large number of general aviation aircraft are based at the airport. Although scheduled services have been withdrawn, Air New Zealand operates limited charter services during air show weekends. On 2 November 2020, Sounds Air commenced daily services between Christchurch and Wanaka utilising a PC-12.

Two aircraft used for scenic flights at Wanaka Airport.

Limitations

The runway's Pavement Classification Number (PCN) is too low to cope with heavier aircraft and the length of the runway prevents certain aircraft from using the airport. However, the airport has consent rights to extend the current runway westward by 500 metres, with an additional 240 metres for standard overrun requirements.

The size of the terminal limits aircraft passenger capacity; larger aircraft such as the Dash8-Q300 and ATR 72 are still able to operate but the airport's facilities are not designed to handle the larger number of the passengers these aircraft carry.

The lack of a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) beacon at the airport poses an issue as few aircraft have appropriate GPS systems to enable non-precision instrument approaches in bad weather.

Airlines and destinations