Game changing runway extension for Chatham Islands
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New Zealand’s Inia William Tuuta Memorial Airport has completed a 480 metre extension to its runway meaning that it is now possible for a B737 size aircraft to operate between the Chatham Islands and Auckland.
A converted TEXEL Air Boeing 737 freighter became the first aircraft to use the newly extended runway, operating a return flight between Auckland and the Chatham Islands this week.
According to airport operator, Chatham Islands Airport Ltd (CIAL), the lengthened runway will increase connectivity to the archipelago, located in the Pacific Ocean about 800km east of New Zealand’s South Island, increasing the resilience of the Chatham Islands and enhancing its economic development opportunities.
The inaugural mission to deliver freight, confirmed the new runway’s capability to support code 4C aircraft and open the door to future flights.
The project to lengthen and strengthen the runway – Project Longer and Stronger – is funded through the New Zealand government’s Infrastructure Reference Group (IRG) programme, managed in partnership with Crown Infrastructure Partners.
