Kāpiti Coast Airport could be closed, as owner says they're 'reviewing all options'

Sunday, 9 August 2020

Kāpiti Coast Airport faces a shaky future as its owner reviews its options. FILE

Kāpiti Coast Airport faces possible closure with its owners “reviewing all options”, and word leaking out that it could shut by next month.

National Party candidate for the Ōtaki electorate Tim Costley said he understood the airport’s closure was imminent. Stuff understands it could be within five weeks.

The owner NZPropCo (NZPC) would look to rezone the land for residential development, Costley said.

NZPC says no decision has been made to close the airport but it is “reviewing all options” in the face of economic and safety concerns. It says it is looking for the “best solutions” for the future.

Kāpiti Coast mayor K Gurunathan says there would be a strong public backlash to rezoning the airport.

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A file photograph of the opening of new Kāpiti Aero Club facilities at the airport. FILE

Costley said the community fought hard to get continued air services such as Air Chathams and Sounds Air. It also had the thriving Kāpiti Aero Club, which would be 'absolutely gutted'.

“The region needs an emergency airfield for when Wellington is fogged in, or during a civil defence emergency. Kāpiti would be a critical hub if a major earthquake was ever to isolate or cut off Wellington from the coast.'

The move was a kick in the guts for the community and Kāpiti Coast District Council would be 'crucified” if it allowed the land to be rezoned, he said.

A photograph from 2011 of Kāpiti Coast Airport. FILE

Costley, a former airforce pilot, said he understood the owners would raise safety concerns about the departure of Airways flight information services from Kāpiti, but this was a “red herring”.

Flights could safely continue with or without the services, he said.

The airport was part of a nationwide property package, sold by the Todd Property Group to NZPC, a New Zealand-based investment group last November.

The first Air Chathams flight lands at Kāpiti Coast Airport in 2018.

An NZPC spokeswoman said the airport faced “significant economic viability issues”.

The withdrawal of Air New Zealand flights in 2018 had a major impact – and Covid-19 had affected aviation worldwide.

“Kāpiti Coast Airport is not immune to these and passenger numbers continue to decline.”

She said safety was now also a significant concern for the airport with the announcement in April by Airways that it was removing flight information services from seven regional airports, including Kāpiti.

This air traffic controller service started in Kāpiti after the 2008 mid-air collision that resulted in three deaths, she said.

“We are therefore reviewing all options for the future of the airport.”

NZPC had met the council “to seek their support and assistance to review how we can collectively identify the best solutions moving forward”.

”In the meantime the airport remains fully open and operational.”

Kāpiti Coast mayor K Gurunathan said he was not aware of the potential closure of the airport. However, NZPC representatives met him the previous week for an “exploration meeting”.

“They were saying they were interested in discussing with council, what they could do … my challenge to them was this: if they are wanting to rezone the land, they will hit very strong public opposition.”

If they threw out an “amazing” alternative plan for the land then they might win support, he said, but he doubted that was possible.

Air Chathams general manager Duane Emeny said he was not aware of any potential closure of the airport.

It would be concerning for Air Chathams if it was correct but “we haven’t had any notification at all from Kāpiti Airport yet”.

Sounds Air chief executive Andrew Crawford also said they were not aware of any potential closure.

He said the airport was important for the entire region during an emergency such as an earthquake. “To lose it as a strategic asset is unthinkable.”

Todd Property bought a majority stake in the airport in 2012 from previous owner Sir Noel Robinson, who in turn had bought the airport in 2006, and planned to launch a business park development.

The airport sits beside Kāpiti Rd, only a few hundred metres from a full interchange connecting north and south to the Kāpiti expressway.

The expressway would connect to Transmission Gully, once completed, allowing four-laned travel to the Terrace Tunnel in central Wellington.