Christchurch International Airport

Christchurch International Airport is the main airport that serves Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located 12 kilometres to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1940 and became New Zealand's first international airport on 16 December 1950. It is the second busiest airport in New Zealand after Auckland by both annual passengers and aircraft movements. Christchurch along with Auckland are the only two airports in New Zealand to regularly handle Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 aircraft. The airport is curfew free operating 24 hours a day. The prevailing wind in Christchurch is from the north-east and to a lesser extent from the south-west, but the city is also affected by Canterbury's nor'wester foehn wind. As a result, the airport has two perpendicular runways: a 3288 m primary runway (02/20) orientated with the north-easterly and south-westerly prevailing winds, and a 1741 m secondary runway (11/29) orientated for use during nor'westers. The airport also has a third grass runway, parallel to the primary runway, for use by general aviation. Due to increasing passenger numbers, the airport has completed construction of a major terminal upgrade. The new construction's primary wing opened in 2011 and the upgrade was completed in 2013. The former 1960 terminal building and control tower designed by Paul Pascoe Two Mount Cook Airline ATR 72s at the terminal A departing Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 in 2010 Air New Zealand British Aerospace 146 at Christchurch in 2005 View of the new domestic terminal under construction Former Nationwide Air Aviation Traders Carvair at Christchurch in 1977 Passengers disembarking from a Qantas Boeing 747-200 on the tarmac in 1978 View of the tarmac from the old roof deck Uzbekistan Airways Boeing 767-300ER on a regular charter with fishing crews at Christchurch in 2014 Air traffic control tower at night, December 2013 Check-in hall, December 2013 Aerial view of the terminal, September 2014 China Southern Airlines Boeing 787-8 on the taxiway at Christchurch Airport, February 2015. The view of the apron looking north from Gate 17, April 2015.