Hawke's Bay Airport hires back Arrow contractors to complete $20m airport expansion

Wills Pomana (left) and Merv Brown from Red Steel back at work on the airport expansion. Photo / Supplied

Work on the Hawke's Bay Airport expansion is back up and running, three weeks after the company running the project went into voluntary administration.

Arrow International went into voluntary administration during late February of this year, which temporarily halted work on the airport expansion, a $20.2 million project and will see 4340sq m redeveloped.

The Airport Company has now established its own, wholly owned, subsidiary business and hired the project management team which had been running the project under Arrow, along with many Hawke's Bay sub-contractor businesses.

Hawke's Bay Airport CEO Stuart Ainslie said it was a great outcome.

"Up until three weeks ago the project had been going incredibly well and that's due to the leadership of those running the project and the many local businesses that are sub-contractors."

Ainslie said multiple options were explored as to how to continue the project.

The Airport Limited Board supported the formation of a subsidiary company.

Chairman Tony Porter said the board had considered the risks and benefits of various options.

"But ultimately agreed that setting up a subsidiary company to deliver the project was the best solution, especially given Stuart's [Ainslie] experience in overseeing projects of this nature."

Work is getting back under way at the airport.

Ainslie said the site is a construction zone and an active operating terminal so safety is a high priority and they will be relaunching safety measures as soon as the site is up and running.

The project is expected to be completed by mid 2020.