Paraparaumu Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Paraparaumu Airport
nativename =
nativename-a =
nativename-r =


image-width =
caption =
IATA = PPQ
ICAO = NZPP
type = Unattended, Non-Certificated Aerodrome
owner =
operator =
city-served =
location = Paraparaumu
elevation-f = 22
elevation-m = 7
coordinates = Coord|40|54|20|S|174|59|20|E|type:airport|display=inline,title
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 16/34
r1-length-f = 4,429
r1-length-m = 1,350
r1-surface = Bitumen
r2-number = 16/34
r2-length-f = 2,001
r2-length-m = 610
r2-surface = Grass
r3-number = 11/29
r3-length-f = 3,268
r3-length-m = 996
r3-surface = Bitumen
r4-number = 11/29
r4-length-f = 1,345
r4-length-m = 410
r4-surface = Grass
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

Paraparaumu Airport (IATA: PPQ, ICAO: NZPP) is an airport located on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Paraparaumu Beach is to the west and north, Paraparaumu to the east, and Raumati Beach to the south. The Wharemauku Stream flows through part of the airport's land.

Originally government-owned, the airport served as the greater Wellington region's main airport until Wellington International Airport opened in 1959. It was privatised in 1995.

History

The then grass Rongotai Airport had been closed for safety reasons in 1947; and Paraparaumu was made available as an "Emergency Airport" by the government. 35 miles from Wellington, it dropped New Zealand National Airways Corporation's Cook Strait traffic by a 1/3 in a single year, due to the isolation. Nonetheless, Paraparaumu was the country's busiest airport in 1949; with up to 20 DC-3s and Lodestars lined up on its apron.

The original runway dimensions were (16/34) 1350m x 45m with a 85m starter extension available on runway 16, nearly touching Kapiti Road which runs past the aerodrome.At that time, secondary runway (11/29) was 1239m x 30m.

Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing fans. Also - even at that time - housing areas were very close to the south and west of the airport; and since the mid 1980s, to the north as well, directly across Kapiti Road.

New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority has recently approved the airport after identifying approach obstruction issues. In the intervening years, aircraft performance and improvements in aircraft navigation systems render earlier concerns less critical.

From 1952 - 57 Wellington (rather peculiarly) had two domestic airports; NAC running Herons from Rongotai (which CAA had dubiously agreed to reopen on strict conditions), mainly to Blenheim and Nelson, but also to Rotorua via Napier; and everything else went through Paraparaumu. When NAC introduced Viscounts in early 1958 they could only operate to Christchurch and Auckland - Paraparaumu's runway being about 300m too short - but then the reconstructed and much improved Rongotai Airport opened - although its terminal remained the old Tiger Moth factory until the late 1990s; and Paraparaumu ceased being Wellington Airport and became the city's general aviation airfield from the late 1950s.

The Kapiti Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses. The aerodrome also serves as a base for the New Zealand helicopter company Helipro, who offer both fixed-wing and helicopter flight training, charters, and other commercial services. Due to the relative infrequency of commercial flights, it is a popular base for private and leisure flights in the Wellington region.

As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but eventually a decision was made instead to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.

Interest in providing commercial flights at Paraparaumu has reignited because the Kapiti coast is one of New Zealand's fastest growing regional centres. Many of Wellington's more affluent professionals and business people chose to live at Paraparaumu and tolerate the hour long commute for the lifestyle offered.

In early 2007, the airport was sold by its first private owners, to property developer Noel Robinson for NZ$40 million. Since then some of the airport's property has been sold to allow for residential development and part of the secondary runway 11/29 has been closed.

Re-development proposals discuss closing 11/29 entirely and utilising a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway. A new multi user terminal is intended for the southern area now home to gliding activities.

This re-development is spurred by interest from Air New Zealand to operate Bombardier Q300 aircraft (aka Dash 8). Before Air New Zealand can do this the airport needs a new terminal and to be certificated. Lack of certification prevents commercial operations by aircraft seating more than 30 passengers.

Planning hearings for airport redevelopment occurred in November 2007, but the redevelopment itself is likely to take all of 2008. Air New Zealand is undoubtedly spurred to use Paraparaumu by spiralling costs at Wellington Airport and new domestic jet services by Pacific Blue.

From a marketing point of view Pacific Blue's greatest vulnerability is their lack of a regional feeder network, so in shifting to Paraparaumu Air New Zealand will be robbing Pacific Blue of patronage from the northern Wellington Region.

Incidents

A crash occurred near Paraparaumu in 1949 when a Lodestar inbound from Whenuapai (Auckland) crashed into the Tararua Range. Paraparaumu Tower had cleared the aeroplane to fly under Visual Flight Rules when the cloud base was below 800m; and for some reason never ascertained the aeroplane turned east into the ranges, instead of out to sea near Kapiti Island to line up with the main runway.

A second crash occurred in 1952 when a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohatuhatu Road, Raumati Beach. 3 children on board died in the fire that followed (no flight attendants on domestic flights until 1956); but the Captain helped everyone else to safety.

On 17 February 2008, the sky above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, was the scene of a triple fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street. No one on the ground was injured. [cite news|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1316907/1585872|title=Third man dead following mid-air crash|publisher=Television New Zealand|date=2008-02-17]

Airlines and Destinations

*Air2there (Blenheim, Levin, Nelson, Wellington)

Notes

External links

* [http://paraparaumuairport.co.nz/index.php/ Paraparaumu airport website]
* [http://www.air2there.com/ Air2there - official website]
* [http://www.kapitiaeroclub.co.nz/ Kapiti Aero Club - official website]
* [http://www.helipro.co.nz/ Helipro - official website]
* [http://www.aip.net.nz/pdf/NZPP_51.1_52.1.pdf New Zealand AIP - Aerodrome & Operational Data]