Whakatāne Airport (IATA: WHK, ICAO: NZWK) is an airport serving the town of Whakatāne, New Zealand, the Eastern Bay of Plenty and the tourist attractions of Mount Tarawera and White Island.

Whakatāne Airport

Papa Rererangi i Whakatāne
Whakatāne airport terminal
Summary
LocationWhakatāne, New Zealand
Elevation AMSL20 ft / 6 m
Coordinates37°55′14″S 176°54′51″E / 37.92056°S 176.91417°E / -37.92056; 176.91417
Map
WHK is located in North Island
WHK
WHK
Location of airport in New Zealand
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09R/27L 2,461 750 Grass
09L/27R 4,200 1,280 Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data [1][usurped]
Whakatāne Airport terminal.

History

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The airport opened on 24 January 1963 with a new sealed runway and a construction cost of 50,000 pounds.[1] It had a 250m runway end safety area (RESA) added to allow larger aircraft such as Saab 340 to land.[2]

Air Chathams operates daily flights to Auckland with a Saab 340.

 
Colourful Air Chathams Fairchild Metroliner on the tarmac at Whakatāne Airport. The aircraft was used exclusively by the airline to maintain a scheduled air service between the Bay of Plenty town and Auckland International Airport.

The airport houses a flight school, agricultural aircraft, fixed wing tourist flights and commercial helicopter operations.[3][citation needed]

The "excitingly different" terminal building was designed by Roger Walker[4] and completed in 1974. In 2019, Heritage New Zealand listed the airport terminal as a Category I Historic Place.[5] Air Chathams began serving Whakatāne with the Saab 340 on 29 November 2019.[6]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Chathams Auckland[7]
Sunair Gisborne, Hamilton, Napier (all resume 13 January 2025)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Whakatane Airport Opened". Photonews. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Airport to have extended runway". Whakatane Beacon. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Airport". Whakatāne District Council. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. ^ Home and Building, vol 37, no. 6, 1975
  5. ^ "Whakatāne Airport Terminal". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. ^ "WHAKATĀNE READY FOR BIGGER AIRCRAFT" (PDF). Air Chathams. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Whakatane Air Services". Air Chathams Ltd.
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