Whenuapai still 'full steam ahead' as second Auckland airport

The company behind a proposal for Auckland's second international airport says the plan is still "full steam ahead".

It has rubbished Hamilton Airport claims it will take over as Auckland's second international airport now that the Government has announced a decision on the sale of the Whenuapai airbase is unlikely before 2010 when the air force moves out.

Infratil, the Wellington-based company which has a large share in Wellington Airport, said today it was still viable for the air force's Whenuapai airbase on Auckland's North Shore to become the city's second international airport.

Infratil executive Tim Brown said the proposal was still alive and viable and they would talk to the Government about a joint military and civilian airfield.

Yesterday the Government said a decision on the future of Whenuapai would not be made until 2010 at the earliest when the air force moved out, prompting opponents of a second airport to claim victory.

Today Waikato Regional Airport chief executive Hugh McCarroll said the reality was that Hamilton was already Auckland's second airport.

Mr Brown said that was a laughable claim but it would happen if Whenuapai was not developed as the city's airport. However, he said passengers would not drive past the Auckland airport to Hamilton when access and transport were the major reasons for developing Whenuapai.

"It is embarrassingly pathetic -- those sort of comments."

He said in spite of the Government decision yesterday, Whenuapai was still viable.

He said it was a "weird" announcement and the only new bit of information was that a decision was now not due until 2010.

He said Infratil still planned to talk to the Government about signing a deal to jointly use the airport with the air force.

He said they wanted the Government to sell Whenuapai to the Waitakere City Council, which supported the airport proposal, and the council would then lease capacity to Infratil and the air force.

"What the Government has said [is] there won't be any sale of the airport for six years and defence will be there for that long, and at the end of the six-year period, if Waitakere still wants it, they can have it."

Mr Brown said it was still "perfectly viable" for Infratil to lease capacity from the air force and that deal could be signed tomorrow.

"In a perfectly practical sense there is nothing to stop us getting a deal with the Crown tomorrow."

He said both the air force and Infratil could happily co-exist at Whenuapai, like many combined military and civilian airports around the world.

Flights would be restricted to aircraft such as Boeing 737s or smaller, which would fly around New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.

He said it was still "full steam ahead" for the proposal.

Mr McCarroll said there was no need for another airport north of Auckland. He said Hamilton had the population catchment, the infrastructure and the ability to expand.

The airport company is about to embark on a $51 million five-year development which includes a revamped terminal, a runway extension, increased apron parking for bigger planes and more car parking. Terminal work would start next June.

Infratil, which has a majority shareholding in Wellington Airport, had pledged to invest $50 million at Whenuapai to develop the airbase for commercial operations.

- NZPA