Kaitaia Airport
Encyclopedia
Kaitaia Airport is located at Kaitaia
Kaitaia
Kaitaia is a town in the far north region of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula which is about 160 km northwest of Whangarei. It is the last major settlement on the main road north to the capes and bays on the peninsula...

 in the Northland Region, of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It's about 4 hours drive from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

 and a 45 minute flight from Auckland International Airport
Auckland International Airport
Auckland Airport is the largest and busiest airport in New Zealand with over 13 million passengers a year, expected to more than double by 2025...

.

On 13 June 2005, Kaitaia Airport received an injection of $333,850 to upgrade its runway facilities so that it can accommodate larger aircraft. The Far North District Council approved loan funding for Kaitaia Airport's project that will allow it to accommodate aircraft up to 15000 kilograms (33,069.3 lb) in weight. This upgrade will allow Air New Zealand to fly into Kaitaia with its new fleet of Dash 8 aircraft. Over the next 10 years, $1.4 million will be invested into the airport.

Aircraft transit

Kaitaia Airport is the most northern airfield in New Zealand that has fuel available. Kaitaia airport has a long and smooth runway, it also has the longest runway in Northland and is used by light aircraft, as well as private (such as the Gulfstream V
Gulfstream V
The Gulfstream V is a business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. It is also used by the US military under the designation C-37A. The G500 and G550 are improved versions which are currently in production...

) and a regular Air New Zealand service from Auckland Airport.

852 km (460 nautical miles) to the North West of Kaitaia is Norfolk Island Airport
Norfolk Island Airport
Norfolk Island Airport is the only airport on Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia. The island is located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia...

 from which it is 754 km (407 nautical miles) to Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...

 in New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

, or 900 km (486 nautical miles) to Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...

 which can be used as a stepping stone to the Australian mainland.

These distances are within the range of many light aircraft when fitted with long range tanks, while the direct distances are usually used with the larger private aircraft which are able to land at Kaitaia Airport. From New Caledonia other Pacific Islands such as Vanuatu and Fiji are within range and can be used as further 'stepping stones' to the other South Pacific and North Pacific destinations.

Information for Aviators

Kaitaia Airport code: KAT (NZKT)

Kaitaia Airport has a 1,402m sealed runway and a gravel cross runway of 1,277m. Navigation aids include a PAL landing system. Private aircraft are permitted to use the airport.

The runway has a Pavement Classification Number (PCN) of 15 which allows aircraft of up to 22,500 kg. MCTOW access to the airport

Kaitaia Airport has:
  • Runway Lighting
  • PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator)
  • Navigation Rotating Beacon
  • Non Directional Beacon (NDB)
  • lighted Wind Socks at either end of both of the runways
  • Fuel - Mobil Avgas

Air New Zealand services


Kaitaia Airport receives Beechcraft 1900D's twice daily Mon-Fri and daily Sat-Sun.

External links

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