Wanaka Airport
Encyclopedia
Wanaka Airport is the airport
servicing the town of Wanaka
, Otago
, New Zealand and the surrounding ski fields. It is also the host of the biennial Warbirds over Wanaka
air show and serves as a base for sightseeing flights to Milford Sound
and Mount Aspiring
National Park. The airport is located 10 km from the centre of Wanaka township.
The lack of a VHF omnidirectional range
(VOR) beacon at the airport poses an issue for some aircraft. Not many aircraft have appropriate GPS systems to enable non-precision instrument approaches in bad weather.
's 19 seater Beechcraft 1900D to Christchurch.
Non scheduled services are made by Vincent Aviation
to Te Anau and Wellington, Aspiring Air
to Queenstown and Glenorchy Air
from Queenstown
and Glenorchy
. The runway's PCN
value is too low to cope with heavier aircraft, along with restrictions on the passenger capacity of aircraft due to the limited airport facilities, however larger aircraft (such as Dash8-Q300 and ATR 72) do operate on scheduled services at peak demand times.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
servicing the town of Wanaka
Wanaka
Wanaka is a town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, adjacent to the outflow of the lake to the Clutha River. It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is primarily a resort town but has both summer and winter...
, Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, New Zealand and the surrounding ski fields. It is also the host of the biennial Warbirds over Wanaka
Warbirds over Wanaka
Warbirds over Wanaka is a biennial air show in Wanaka, held on the Easter weekend of even-numbered years. It is held at Wanaka Airport, 10 km outside Wanaka village. Initially conceived by New Zealand live deer recovery pioneer, Sir Tim Wallis, as a display day for him to play with his collection...
air show and serves as a base for sightseeing flights to Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
and Mount Aspiring
Mount Aspiring
Mount Aspiring / Tititea is New Zealand's highest mountain outside the Aoraki/Mount Cook region.Set within Otago's Mount Aspiring National Park, it has a height of 3,033 metres . Māori named it Tititea, which translates as Glistening Peak. Named in December 1857 by the Chief Surveyor for the Otago...
National Park. The airport is located 10 km from the centre of Wanaka township.
The lack of a VHF omnidirectional range
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
(VOR) beacon at the airport poses an issue for some aircraft. Not many aircraft have appropriate GPS systems to enable non-precision instrument approaches in bad weather.
Airlines and destinations
The only scheduled services at present are operated by Air New ZealandAir New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
's 19 seater Beechcraft 1900D to Christchurch.
Non scheduled services are made by Vincent Aviation
Vincent Aviation
Vincent Aviation is an airline based in Wellington, New Zealand. It operates air charter, freight and subcontract flights with hubs at Wellington International Airport and Darwin International Airport, Australia. It was founded by Peter Vincent in 1992....
to Te Anau and Wellington, Aspiring Air
Aspiring Air
Aspiring Air is an airline based in Wanaka, New Zealand. It operates charter pleasure flights around New Zealand's Southern Alps and scheduled services three times daily to Queenstown, connecting with Air New Zealand...
to Queenstown and Glenorchy Air
Glenorchy Air
Glenorchy Air is a scenic flight and air charter company based at Queenstown Airport, New Zealand. The company is owned by Janet and Robert Rutherford who founded it in 1992. The company was started with just one aeroplane, a Cessna 185, registration ZK CHK. With the expansion of the business, a...
from Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains....
and Glenorchy
Glenorchy, New Zealand
Glenorchy is a small settlement nestled in spectacular scenery at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand's south Island. It is approximately 45 kilometres by road or boat from Queenstown, the nearest large town....
. The runway's PCN
Pavement Classification Number
The Pavement Classification Number is an International Civil Aviation Organization standard used in combination with the Aircraft Classification Number to indicate the strength of a runway, taxiway or airport ramp...
value is too low to cope with heavier aircraft, along with restrictions on the passenger capacity of aircraft due to the limited airport facilities, however larger aircraft (such as Dash8-Q300 and ATR 72) do operate on scheduled services at peak demand times.