Whanganui District Council presses on with airport’s partial parallel taxiway

Contractors have begun setting up at Whanganui Airport. Photo / Mike Tweed

A $3.6 million partial parallel taxiway at Whanganui Airport will be finished before the end of the year.

A full taxiway was signed off for Whanganui District Council’s 10-year plan for 2024-34.

However, the Ministry of Transport - a joint partner in the airport - declined to fund its half, saying it did not consider the project essential for the airport’s ongoing operations.

A partial taxiway received unanimous support from councillors at a meeting last December.

At the time, airport chief executive Sarah O’Hagan said contractors would be “ready to go” on January 13.

Council chief executive David Langford said this week they were setting up at the site.

“In the meantime, the final bits of paperwork are being squared away.

“I’m not expecting there to be any delay.

“It will be done before the end of the calendar year, probably well before.”

Langford said he would meet officials from Kanoa (Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit) and the Ministry of Transport over the next two weeks about government funding for the rest of the project.

“Our [funding] application is still in the mix and still in contention.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some good news soon.”

The partial taxiway will connect the NZICPA to the threshold of the main runway. Photo / Mike Tweed

The partial taxiway will run from the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy‘s hangar to the threshold of the main runway.

A full taxiway was a key recommendation in a 2019 aeronautical study on the airport, although there is no legal requirement to do it.

Last December, airport users Air Chathams and Aerowork branded the project unnecessary but O’Hagan said it would mitigate “significant safety issues” such as backtracking (back taxiing).

Langford said the council would look for other funding sources if its application was unsuccessful and “continue to go back to the Government”.

“It was staged for a reason, just in case the Government can’t come up with their share in the short term.”

He said getting ratepayers to fund the second stage was “the absolute option of last resort”.

“What does help is that, because the airport is getting busier, landing fees are on the increase and that’s certainly helping make sure ratepayers are paying less towards the airport in general.”

An increase in aeronautical fees at Whanganui Airport was approved by the ministry last May, the first rise since 2009.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.