Latest news with #HamiltonAirport
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sod Turned For First Build At Precinct North
Press Release – Hamilton Airport New Zealand-owned company Asmuss will be the first tenant at Precinct North, the newest stage of the 170-hectare business park bordering the Airport. Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) is the property arm of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd. Soil has been turned on the first building at Precinct North, part of the massive Titanium Park business and industrial estate being developed at Hamilton Airport. New Zealand-owned company Asmuss will be the first tenant at Precinct North, the newest stage of the 170-hectare business park bordering the Airport. Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) is the property arm of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd. The first sod has been turned on a purpose-built 5,000-square metre building for Asmuss, a New Zealand-owned company whose polyethylene pipe extrusion plant has outgrown its Te Rapa facility. When the build is complete in April next year, the Waikato-based Asmuss operation, including around 40 staff, will move from Te Rapa and become anchor tenants. Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the Asmuss design and build deal sees the Airport taking on the build in return for a long-term tenancy from a quality business. It will be a joint project alongside Asmuss and Hamilton-based construction company Fosters, he said. 'We see this contract with Asmuss as the beginning of a long-term relationship that will set the scene for what we want to achieve here,' he said. 'Being first off the block in Precinct North means Asmuss will help us set a benchmark in terms of design and we intend to set that benchmark pretty high.' Asmuss chief executive Dean Brown said the expansion of the company's manufacturing capability was about investing for the future 'in an absolutely prime location'. 'This latest investment is all about being ready for when the infrastructure market recovers – and it will,' Brown said. 'At Precinct North, we have the ability to further expand if we want to. That's why it's important for us to have design input right from the beginning and to work with a long-term partner who, like us, is focused on opportunity.' Over the coming 15-20 years, Morgan estimates hundreds of millions of dollars will go into developing Titanium Park's Precinct North. Waikato-based contractors MacPhersons have been on site since March undertaking earthworks across the 20-hectare first stage. Cambridge-based civil contractors Camex Civil have been awarded the tender for roads and infrastructure and began work this month. 'This is a massive project not just for us, but for the wider Waikato construction and civil construction industries,' Morgan said. 'Precinct North is big in itself, but is just one stage of a bigger picture. The full development of Titanium Park goes to our core purpose of operating an airport which is financially self-sustaining and provides value to the wider community. We are strategically using our landholdings to develop non-aeronautical income which we can in turn re-invest,' he said. 'Up until now, TPL has essentially been a land developer. Now are becoming a developer and a long-term investor and ultimately, an economic enabler for the region.' When complete, Titanium Park will be one of the biggest business parks in New Zealand. It is just minutes from the Waikato Expressway and is already zoned for a broad range of industrial and commercial activities. Already, more than 30 tenants or owner-occupier businesses are based at the park including Visy, Trade Depot, Tyreline Distributors and StorageKing. When complete over the next 15-20 years, more than 5,000 people are expected to work on site.
RNZ News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Ninety-minute delay as fog forces Sydney to Hamilton flight to circle airport
Photo: 123rf A Jetstar flight from Sydney had to circle in a holding pattern on Saturday because fog at Hamilton Airport prevented its landing. A spokesperson for the airport, which recently restarted international flights, said it was out of an abundance of caution. Jetstar said flight JQ165 made two go-arounds, and these are standard procedures. Hamilton Airport chief executive, Mark Morgan, said he believed passengers spent about an extra hour in the air, while flight tracking website reported that the flight was delayed by one hour and 29 minutes. A screenshot from the flight tracking website showing flight JQ165 circling Hamilton Airport after fog prevented its landing. Photo: Supplied / The plane eventually landed at 12.34pm. Fog also affected seven regional flights at Auckland Airport Saturday morning. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
15-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hamilton Back On International Radar
Hamilton Airport reopens as an international gateway today for the first time in more than a decade - and the team behind it is ecstatic. Jetstar flight JQ165 from Sydney will touch down in Hamilton around 11.15am today before the A320 aircraft reloads and takes passengers back to Sydney. From today, Jetstar will operate seven trans-Tasman services per week out of Hamilton: three return flights to and from the Gold Coast, and four return flights between Hamilton and Sydney. Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan, who was on the inaugural flight from Sydney this morning, said the team behind the rebirth of Hamilton's international airport were 'exhausted but ecstatic'. 'This is a huge day, it's momentous. It's been almost 13 years since Hamilton was an international airport. That's a long time between drinks, but we are absolutely ready to go. These new Jetstar services reconnect the Waikato directly with Australia and the world. We couldn't be prouder, or more excited to put Hamilton back on an international flight path.' Morgan said the Jetstar flights will add capacity for more than 100,000 international passengers each year and pour an extra $45 million annually into the Waikato economy. More than 60 new airport-based jobs have already been created and the tourism spend is expected to open the door for around 300 new jobs. 'This is much more than just a boost in Australian visitors, or more families and businesses finding it easier and cheaper to connect across the Tasman. It's about real dollars in people's pockets,' Morgan said. 'Jetstar's arrival in Hamiton creates a new, international gateway to the North Island – one that brings people directly into the Mighty Waikato. It gives New Zealanders easy, convenient access to the eastern seaboard of Australia, and from there to the wider world.' Since Jetstar's announcement in September last year, the airport team had worked like incredibly hard, he said. 'We have developed a world-class international terminal, new car park facilities and delivered on a mountain of border agency requirements while still running a domestic airport without any passenger disruption. It's been intense and at times, exhausting, but what a privilege to be part of something that will turn the dial for Hamilton and the Waikato.' Morgan acknowledged the work from multiple agencies. 'This project has been a true collaboration. We've worked alongside the Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Customs, Avsec, Immigration New Zealand, police, health services and many others to ensure the airport is fully compliant and ready to operate. It's been a huge job for the border agencies. They've worked tirelessly to help us deliver.' Morgan also acknowledged the leadership from his Board of Directors. 'Nothing very good happens without strong governance. They backed us when we first took the Jetstar proposal to them and have backed us every day since. For a chief executive, that's gold.' Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said it was exciting to be further expanding Jetstar's New Zealand network. 'This year, we're celebrating 20 years of international flying from New Zealand and 16 years of domestic operations - transforming the country's aviation industry along the way. We're excited to bring international travel back to Hamilton with new direct flights from Sydney and the Gold Coast, offering more low-cost options and exciting new destinations for Kiwis and Aussies.' 'We know Kiwi travellers love our low fares and see huge potential for even more growth in the future.' Morgan thanked his Hamilton Airport team for making today happen. 'The efforts made to get this across the line and deliver something we can all be proud of have been extraordinary. We know what this means to our wider community and have felt a real responsibility to deliver. Today we have.' Note: WRAL (Waikato Regional Airport Ltd) is a council-controlled organisation owned by Hamilton City, Otorohanga, Waipā, Waikato and Matamata-Piako District Councils and is the umbrella for subsidiary companies Hamilton Airport, Jet Park Hotel Hamilton Airport, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism (HWT) and Titanium Park Limited.
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
A new era in flight takes off in Hamilton
New flights to Australia from Hamilton Airport are taking off this morning. File photo. Photo: Supplied Hamilton will once again have an international airport, with flights starting to and from Australia today. (Left to right) Joshua Wikiriwhi-Heta from Ngaati Hauaa and Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan at the blessing on 3 June. Photo: Supplied Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said it would be a total game changer for the city. "Direct flights into Hamilton open up huge opportunities, whether it be business, tourism, or leisure," she said. The new flights were announced in September 2024 . Jetstar will fly 188-seater A320 Neo aircraft both ways between Sydney and Hamilton (four days a week) and the Gold Coast and Hamilton (three days a week). Southgate was not worried that it might become a direct one-way-door out of the city and across the Tasman for residents. She said people were just happy to be able to have a holiday in Australia without having to go to Auckland first. "This will be easier for them to go and visit friends and family and to do business in those big cities, and easier for them to go and enjoy some of the events and attractions Australia offers." Zealong Tea Estate general manager Sen Kong said that had also been the message he had heard from staff. "Some have been quite vocal in terms of how much more convenient it's going to be in order to contact with their friends and family, it also an opportunity to visit a market with a lot more convenience." He said having an international airport again signalled Waikato as a region of growth. Hamilton Airport group general manager operations Ben Langley, inside the new international terminal as it was being built. Photo: Supplied "This city is ready for a lot more visitors and a lot more business to come its way. I think it's a great opportunity all together and I hope the region and all the people understand the importance of it." Hamilton Business Association chief executive Vanessa Williams said only about 3 percent of the money currently spent in Hamilton city was from international visitors. "I think that we will see quite a difference now having Jetstar flights and having Australians being able to come into Hamilton so much easier - I'm expected that that value of the overseas market-spend will increase here." It has been 13 years since Hamilton has had trans-Tasman flights, and Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said creating a new international airport for New Zealand was not for the faint of heart. "It's quite a major process to have the government and crown agencies agree to stand up a border," he said. Morgan thought a lot had changed demographically and economically in the region in the last decade, which made him confident the international service would not fizzle out this time. "If we talk about the Waikato Region, it's had significant growth in the last decade. As we know Hamilton city is now the fastest growing city in New Zealand, the upper North Island is now the economic powerhouse of New Zealand and if we refer loosely to the golden triangle, the vast majority of New Zealanders now live in the upper North Island," he said. Morgan said reintroducing the flights took work from both the airport and the airline. "Ultimately the airline decides where they are going to fly, and airlines do a lot of work in terms of understanding the economics of new routes," he said. This would including looking at demographics of the region and whether the Waikato is a market it could support and grow. "We as well, as an airport company, do our own work around understanding the attractiveness of various routes," said Morgan. The airport will also help provide airport resilience to the whole upper North Island. Morgan points to a situation over Easter as an example of the need for another airport which can receive international visitors. A couple of aircraft were diverted to Hamilton due to weather that weekend but because Hamilton did not yet have an international border in place, the airlines could only take safe haven on the ground until they could fly back to Auckland for processing through customers. "Had we had the border in place we could have been more effective in looking after the customers on board those aircraft," Morgan said. He thought the government and others were beginning to recognise the importance of the upper North Island, of travel resilience, and having an alternative for airlines. His Excellency Dr Daniel Soper (right), Australian High Commissioner, visiting the airport, with chief executive Mark Morgan. Photo: Supplied Earlier this month a blessing was held at Hamilton Airport to thank contractors and border agencies and welcome up to 60 new airport-based staff who will work in the international terminal. The terminal will officially open for business today when the first Jetstar flight from Sydney touches down in Hamilton, before boarding passengers and flying back across the Tasman that afternoon. Morgan will be arriving on that first flight, along with Waipa District mayor Susan O'Regan, Hamilton City mayor Paula Southgate and Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully. The refurnished terminal includes provision for full border controls provided by government agencies including aviation security, customs, MPI and immigration along with support from police and health services. The terminal will be used by around 120,000 international passengers arriving and departing each year who are expected to spend $45 million per year into the regional economy. Jetstar will be the fourth carrier to operate from Hamilton Airport, joining Air New Zealand, Sunair and Originair. The airport already handles around 360,000 passengers annually with more growth forecast. The first flight out to Sydney is 12.15pm while the first flight from Sydney arrives at 11.15am. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Taupō Tourism Set To Soar With New International Flights From Hamilton Airport
The return of international flights to Hamilton Airport after a 13-year hiatus signals a new era of opportunity for the Taupō tourism sector. Starting June 16, Jetstar will operate direct flights between Hamilton and Sydney, followed by services to the Gold Coast commencing June 18. Hamilton Airport is only a 90-minute drive from Taupō—which makes it a convenient gateway for international visitors keen to explore the region. Taupō, most recently crowned one of the earth's most welcoming destinations is now more accessible to Australian tourists seeking everything from rest and relaxation to adventure and adrenaline. Patrick Dault, General Manager of Destination Great Lake Taupō (DGLT) highlighted the ease in accessibility to Taupō: 'How we bring more visitors to the region has always been a critical conversation. With this kind of access, everyone over the ditch can spend less time travelling and more time enjoying everything Taupō has to offer. Another international gateway is definitely a plus. This one, on the very steps of Taupō ensures visitors can land in the mighty Waikato and make the most of their experience in Taupō and other regions within the central north island' Nicola Greenwell, Chief Executive at Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, exclaimed 'we are thrilled to be welcoming the new Jetstar flights directly into to Hamilton. The mighty Waikato has many great visitor experiences on offer and our tourism operators, hospitality and retail businesses are ready to welcome manuhiri from Australia. These flights mean our Aussie mates have easier access to visit the central north island, after exploring the mighty Waikato of course!' The refurbished terminal now includes full border control, a new duty-free store, and a café, enhancing the travel experience for incoming tourists. Mark Morgan, Chief Executive of Waikato Regional Airport Ltd, emphasised the broader regional benefits: "This is the beginning of a huge opportunity. The benefits for the entire region—not just passengers—are significant." As Taupō prepares to welcome more international guests, the community looks forward to sharing its rich cultural heritage and stunning landscapes with a broader audience. About Destination Great Lake Taupō: Destination Great Lake Taupō is the Regional Tourism Organisation responsible for promoting the Taupō region as a visitor destination. The organisation works to increase visitation, length of stay, and visitor spending in the region.
