Hamilton International Airport guide

Hamilton Airport sits at Rukuhia, about 14 km south of Hamilton in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It began as a flying paddock and was opened by Hamilton's mayor on 12 October 1935 as Steele's aerodrome. It served as an aircraft maintenance base in World War II, and scheduled passenger flights started in the early 1950s.

The Crown sold the airport in 1989 to five local councils, and Waikato Regional Airport Limited now runs it. A domestic terminal opened in 1995 and an international terminal in 1996. The single terminal building has six tarmac gates, and the apron holds up to five Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-800 aircraft at once.

Air New Zealand and Jetstar fly domestic jet services to Christchurch, and Air New Zealand also serves Wellington. Jetstar flies trans-Tasman to Sydney and the Gold Coast, and Sunair connects Hamilton with regional centres such as Gisborne, Napier, Whakatane and Whangarei. A 255 m extension of the main runway, to 2,450 m, was approved in March 2026, with construction due to start late in 2026.