Contractors have pulled an all-nighter at Hamilton Airport to install vital equipment in readiness for international flights.
In June this year, Qantas-owned Jetstar will launch direct flights to and from Hamilton, Sydney and the Gold Coast – the first scheduled international flights in and out of Hamilton for 13 years.
In readiness, the airport is investing close to $5 million refurbishing its northern passenger terminal, including meeting legal requirements from border agencies and the Civil Aviation Authority.
This week (on Wednesday night), a 60m square opening was peeled off the terminal roof to allow two x-ray screening machines, feeder belts, a body scanner and other screening equipment to be meticulously placed into what will become the international departure hall.
The machines, one weighing around 2.5 tonnes, were precision placed through the hole in the roof by Hamilton-based Universal Cranes. Once the roof was put back on, two large air conditioning units were installed on top.
Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said the crew “pulled an all-nighter” to get the job done. Work began at 7pm and finished at 5am the next morning.
“We needed the crane gone from the airport apron, where planes park, before flights arrived so timing was key. It was a tight, logistical exercise involving builders, roofers, crane operators, air conditioning contractors and our own team and it went well. Even the weather played ball.”
The next big piece of equipment to be installed in the terminal will be the baggage carousel, currently being shipped to New Zealand from India.
Morgan confirmed the terminal refurbishment was running to schedule. He was confident Hamilton Airport would be well ready to go by the time the first Jetstar flight arrived from Sydney on Monday, June 16.
In September last year, Jetstar announced it will offer three return flights per week between Hamilton and the Gold Coast, and four return flights per week between Hamilton and Sydney. The flights will see more than 100,000 more passengers per year using Hamilton Airport and are set to boost the regional economy by $45 million per year.
