Work to start on airport car park upgrade; payment from vehicles at exit coming

Improvements will be made to the airport car park's payment system, design and layout. Photo / File

Work will commence on a major upgrade to Hawke's Bay Airport's car park this Monday.

The project will include the introduction of new access-controlled technology so drivers can pay from their vehicles as they exit, instead of having to validate their cards at payment machines.

Hawke's Bay Airport's chief executive Stuart Ainslie said along with the new payment options, improvements will also be made to the car park's design and layout which will make it easier to find a park and reduce congestion.

"We will see a far better distribution of cars across the car park, so that parking is spread more evenly throughout the available space. The upgrade will improve efficiency, traffic flow and safety," Ainslie said.

Contracting firm Higgins would be commencing work on Monday. The project would be staged to "minimise disruption" to travellers, with completion scheduled for early December.

The scope includes a new roundabout along with the construction of dual entry and exit lanes directly into the car park.

To create additional capacity, 45 rental car parks will be relocated to the north of the terminal. The new access control and payment technology was procured via a public tender process and is sourced from German company Schedit & Bachmann, which supplies solutions for airports globally.

Along with the new payment options there will continue to be payment machines available for those customers who wish to pay with cash or require a receipt.

"It's exciting to see work progressing, the second stage of the airport's terminal redevelopment will be completed next month so there is a lot happening," Ainslie said.