A master plan could soon be in place for Whanganui Airport for the first time, covering operations and opportunities for the next 20 to 30 years.

According to a report from airport chief executive
Phil McBride, the plan is a critical planning tool for determining future requirements and will provide a vision for realising the airport’s “ultimate potential”.

“Airports generate significant social and economic benefits to communities, but they need to be properly planned and protected over the long term to realise these benefits and ensure their safe and efficient operation,” the report says.

“Poor planning of airports can lead to a range of problems including operational restrictions, amenity impacts for nearby residents and airport closures in the extreme case.”

The report says the plan, which has a price tag of $60,000 (split between the council and central government), is long overdue.

That money includes engaging aviation consultants and conducting feasibility studies, with “a significant portion” of the plan being developed by in-house airport staff.

Whanganui District Council property manager Sarah O’Hagan said she wanted the plan to include business development to look at ways of making the airport sustainable and fit for purpose into the future.

“Whanganui is a small, regional airport so it will have its limitations but, on the other side of the coin, there is room to expand and develop.

“The question is ‘by how much and to what?’. That’s what we’ll work through in this planning process.”

Any new businesses at the airport needed to be mutually beneficial for current users, she said.

One example was a company that took care of aircraft servicing and upkeep.

The airport, owned in equal partnership by the council and central government, is used by Air Chathams, Air Whanganui, New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy (NZICPA), Ravensdown Aerowork, Mid West Helicopters and the Wanganui Aero Club.

Aside from tension around upcoming aeronautical fee increases, the council had solid working relationships with other airport users, O’Hagan said.

The proposed fees are yet to be revealed, pending signoff from the Government.

NZICPA chief executive Gerard Glanville said its maintenance company was starting to get inquiries to do work outside the academy.

“Having some sort of education or apprenticeship around engineering and aircraft maintenance would be a really good add-on for the Whanganui area.

“I can see that developing over time based on the amount of activity we’re going to have.”

Remote pilot training capability could also come to Whanganui within the next two or three years, he said.

“The most simple version of that is a drone, for agricultural operations or photography and things like that.

“There are two ways of looking at it: you can see the item you‘re flying, like a model aeroplane, or you can’t see it but you have information from it, so you can instruct it to do work.

“The demand for pilots who can fly those types of aircraft – UAVs – I think it will increase. As a training academy, we would like to address that demand going into the future.”

Wanganui Aero Club chief flight instructor Jonathan Mauchline said that, except for the NZICPA, there hadn’t been a lot of change at the airport over the past 30 to 50 years.

“I think it’s important not to try and make Whanganui Airport something it isn’t.

“For a recreational pilot, it’s got everything you would want and more.”

While unlikely, multiple airlines entering the Whanganui market would be incredibly inhibiting to the recreational scene, he said.

Tidying up the area could be an option.

“Thirty or 40 years ago, people used to come and park on the hill behind the terminal, just to watch the planes.

“Overall, I think the club is pretty happy with the status quo.”

O’Hagan said there were “no live offers on the table” but the council was considering all options for expanding passenger services in and out of Whanganui.

At present, Air Chathams operates flights between Whanganui and Auckland.

Chief operating officer Duane Emeny said increasing costs at Auckland Airport meant Whanganui could be a potential base for the company in the future.

There was “ample space” around the airport for development, as there was around other Air Chathams’ routes at Kāpiti and Whakatāne.

“Moving our entire operation down would be great. The cost of living is better and cheaper for our people.

“It’s a possibility, if that’s the way the district council wants to go.”

Ravensdown Aerowork chief executive Fabian Kopu said sustainable growth was key and that was always challenging in regional areas.

Airport users were waiting with bated breath for the release of the new fees, he said.

“Affordability is pretty important in our industry.

“If you look at the stats around sheep and beef in particular, there are going to be a lot of farmers around our region that will be hurting.

“Of course that flows through to all of us.”

The airport could create an environment where industries thrived, he said.

“That could be with manufacturing opportunities, and I would fully expect drone companies to be operating at most airports at some point in time.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how all these new types of technologies develop.”

Emeny said smaller aircraft could be powered purely by battery in the future, so investing in that infrastructure would be beneficial for regional airports.

“Having smaller regional hubs dotted around the place with high-frequency services, that could be the future.

“Certainly in the next decade, you’ll see the re-engineering of aircraft. At [aircraft manufacturer] ATR, they are already trialling hydrogen and electric combinations.”

In recent months the terminal’s roof has been replaced and the runway has been resealed.

Construction of a $6.7 million parallel taxiway could begin in July, which could lead to the development of land that is not currently accessible to aircraft.

O’Hagan said there could be new civil aviation regulations in the pipeline that would require changes to the terminal.

“One of the potential changes is regional airports of our size needing a security screening model in place.

“That would require a different layout within the terminal. It is yet to be finalised but we would have to adapt and adjust.”

Emeny said he saw potential in Air Chathams expanding services in and out of Whanganui.

“Air Chathams has lots of grand ambitions but, of course, you get constrained by time and resources.

“There are ways to short-circuit that. If people are prepared to step up with you and share the risk, there are a lot of opportunities there.”

Glanville said there were about 75 students currently on site.

Size mattered when it came to pilot academies and Whanganui’s “could quite safely grow” to 180 students in the future.

“We’ve got a cohort of 35 cadets from IndiGo in April and another 36 are being interviewed in India at the moment. They will be due around July.

“By November, we’ll be quite easily approaching that 100 student mark.”

The master plan project is up for consideration as part of the council’s Long-Term Plan 2024-34.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and 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.