Airport gears up for the summer season

Tuesday, 2 November

Media release

Airport gears up for the summer season

Christchurch International Airport (CIAL) is prepared for a buoyant summer with inaugural flights to Los Angeles and the Gold Coast taking off today.

Following Singapore Airlines recent announcement of daily year round services to Singapore, these new direct flight services by Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue will provide a huge boost for the local economy in terms of tourism, trade and freight.

'We've experienced amazing growth in the past four month with international passenger numbers up by 40 per cent.' said Chief Executive George Bellew. 'The airport company has worked hard to bring new services and extra capacity into Christchurch and the South Island'

CIAL has initiated an aggressive marketing strategy with airline partners and has increased the level of promotion said Glenn Wedlock, Marketing Manager.

'Hot on the tails of our recent record breaking passenger numbers, we expect that records will continue to tumble this summer'

The airport is well positioned to cater for this growth with the new $20 million expansion project now operational. The additional aircraft gates provide the flexibility to accommodate up to B773, A346 and A380 aircraft while increasing the operational area by approximately 4,000 square metres. Work on the final touches to the project will be completed in time for the peak summer period.

ENDS

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