Use of cheaper long-term spaces encouraged The cost of parking a car at Tauranga Airport will double next month, to pay for most of the $2.8m terminal extensions and carpark improvements.
A council meeting approved the increase, which doubles nearly all charges for the short-term carpark closest to the terminal. The
first 20 minutes remain free.
The airport had a user-pays philosophy and the new charges sat about the middle of what other airports charged, Mayor Stuart Crosby said.
The new charges were fair and good value, Mount councillor David Stewart said.
However, Cr Catherine Stewart said she could not support a 100 per cent increase and the vote ended 10-1.
The new scale of charges was pitched to encourage people parking for longer than one day to use the new $750,000 long-stay carpark. It will cost twice as much to use the short-stay carpark for long-term parking.
Airport manager Ray Dumble said carpark revenue paid for nearly all the airport's public areas, with small contributions from the cafe and Air New Zealand. The airport had no intention of charging a departure tax.
Airline-passenger numbers have boomed in the past six years, from 100,000 in 2002 to 195,000 during the past 12 months.
Construction of the long-term carpark added 100 spaces, bringing total carparks to 325. A planned covered walkway from the terminal to the long-term carpark has just been designed.
Mr Dumble expected the new carpark charges would take effect about mid-July, once signs went up.
Total carpark improvements, including the long-term carpark, remodelling the existing carpark, electronic equipment, and the new access road, cost $1.25m.
Free parking at the airport ended about six years ago.
