Whakatāne Airport guide

Whakatāne Airport (ICAO NZWK) serves the eastern Bay of Plenty on New Zealand's North Island, on the western side of Whakatāne town.

The airport has two runways. The main sealed runway, 09L/27R, is 1,280 metres long, and a parallel grass runway, 09R/27L, is 750 metres long. The sealed runway opened on 24 January 1963 at a construction cost of 50,000 pounds. In 2018 the runway end safety areas were extended from 90 to 240 metres so that larger aircraft such as the Saab 340 could land.

Air New Zealand's final scheduled flight left Whakatāne on 28 April 2015, and Air Chathams began the Auckland service the same day. Sunair has also announced services to Gisborne, Napier and Hamilton. Scheduled services have changed over the years, so passengers should check the airline's current timetable before planning a trip.

The terminal was designed by architect Roger Walker and completed in 1974. Heritage New Zealand listed it as a Category 1 Historic Place in 2019. The airport is run as a joint venture between the Whakatāne District Council and the New Zealand Government. It stands on land the Crown confiscated in 1866, and under the Ngāti Awa Treaty settlement that land returns to Ngāti Awa if it stops being used for aviation. The council's airport master plan covers maintenance, a terminal extension and possible future development of the site.