Ohakea to get passenger, cargo terminal

Ohakea Air Force Base is to get a new passenger terminal for its role as the North Island's emergency airport if Auckland Airport is put out of action.

The construction of the terminal for passengers and cargo, including offices for Customs, Biosecurity and Immigration staff, is part of the Manawatu base's $129 million upgrade announced yesterday by Defence Minister Phil Goff.

"Ohakea is the default airport if Auckland International Airport is closed," said Mr Goff.

"At the moment we have basic facilities there if a plane gets diverted.

"We need to have proper offices for Customs, Biosecurity and Immigration," he said, "and we need reasonable facilities for passengers, who are a little put out anyway because they intended to go to Auckland and the fog rolls in and they go to Ohakea."

In May, Ohakea was used for an emergency landing by an Air New Zealand flight from Wellington to Auckland after the pilot reported electric problems when 100km north of the base.

More than 100 passengers were unloaded and waited five hours for a replacement plane.

Passengers included MPs David Cunliffe, Murray McCully, Tau Henare, Paul Hutchison, Wayne Mapp, Mark Gosche, Chris Carter and Judith Collins.

Mr Goff also said the Cabinet had agreed to building new hangars, and tenders would be called next year.

The hangars will be used for the NH 90 utility helicopter fleet, which replaces the Iroquois, and the new A109 training and light utility helicopters to replace the 1950s-vintage Sioux.

Mr Goff said the two new fleets were due to arrive from 2010 and cost about $900 million.

He said the Cabinet had also considered options for rationalisation of the Air Force at Ohakea.

Defence had been asked to report to the Cabinet next year with an updated business case for consolidation of operations at Ohakea and time frames for the Air Force leaving Whenuapai base, near Auckland, sometime between 2014 and 2018.

The Defence Force says Ohakea needs extensive improvements to infrastructure and additional buildings.