Kaikoura Aerodrome

NewZealandAirport.com  »  Airport in New Zealand  »  Kaikoura Aerodrome

Kaikoura Aerodrome

Kaikoura Airport (IATA: KBZ, ICAO: NZKI) is an uncontrolled aerodrome located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest of Kaikoura at Peketa on the South Island of New Zealand.

The Airport was opened in 1964. It was constructed by council staff at a cost of 4000 pounds. It had an original grass runway of 575 metres. In 1983 the Kaikoura aero club was formed. In late 1995 the runway was sealed for the increased traffic and to protect it from damage caused by rabbits.

In 1990-91 Air Charter Ltd operated scheduled flights to Christchurch using Cessna 210 aircraft. On 19 July 2004 Sounds Air started twice daily services from Wellington using its Airvan aircraft. But these also ended as of May 2009 as they were not a success.

On 21 November 2016, Sounds Air began a temporary daily Monday to Friday air service from Kaikoura to Blenheim and Christchurch, after the main transport links to the town were severed by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. The service was planned to run for at least three weeks, using the company's Cessna Caravan. It was extended to the end of December 2017.

A scenic flight operator based at Kaikoura offers 30-minute flights for whale watching. They also operate charter flights from Kaikoura to Christchurch, Wellington and to Hanmer Springs. Their fleet consists of two aircraft:

►Gippsland Aeronautics GA8 Airvan 7-seater ZK-KBZ
►Cessna 172N 3-seater ZK-EKE

Air Kaikoura is another scenic operator based at the aerodrome since 1983.

The airport resides at an elevation of 19 feet (6 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 05/23 with bitumen surface measuring 2,297 feet (700 m) in length.