Queenstown Airport’s 85th birthday is being marked in very different circumstances than was anticipated when planning for the anniversary began at the start of this year.

Queenstown Airport began serving the communities of the Southern Lakes region 85 years ago yesterday (Friday August 14), making it one of the oldest commercial airports in New Zealand operating on its original site.

Through the decades the airport has evolved from an airstrip to the international airport it is in 2020, the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) said in a statement.

In 1935 the population of Queenstown was about 1,000, and today it is approximately 28,000. The airport and the businesses operating here have grown with the district as both the resident population and visitor numbers have increased over time.

Aviation pioneers Barry Topliss, Fred ‘Popeye’ Lucas, Trevor Cheetham, and Bill Hewett.

QAC said it is a “unique situation” - a small population hosting an international airport, and because of the thriving general aviation activity in and around Queenstown, one of the busiest airfields in the country.

“Queenstown Airport has been an integral part of the district’s fabric throughout its history, supporting and contributing to a vibrant and prosperous place,” Queenstown Airport chief executive Colin Keel said, adding it is timely to reflect on the pioneering spirit of those who founded the airport and developed the alpine aviation base.

The first trans-Tasman flight in 1995.

Air New Zealand airports group general manager Leanne Geraghty said the carrier has been flying to Queenstown since the 1960s, and has worked closely with the airport to achieve milestones like night flying in 2016 and most recently the Required Navigation Performance (RNP AR) technology on ATRs which means bad weather will have less of an impact on our flights. 

Queenstown Lakes District mayor Jim Boult said his first visit to the airport was in 1966 as a young student pilot, recalling the terminal “was something of a shed, and the facilities were rudimentary indeed”.

Jim said the sealed runway did not arrive until the late ‘60s when the impending arrival of Mount Cook Airlines’ Hawker Siddeley 748 aircraft made this essential. “Many extensions and upgrades later, I still well recall the original terminal with a partial wire fence separating the public from the aircraft.”

Queenstown Airport today.

“From those very humble beginnings, Queenstown Airport has developed over the last 85 years to be a vital gateway for the district’s economy, for locals to visit friends and whānau, and as a starting point for worldwide travel,” he said.

JIm said the airport offers a stunning entry point to the area, and provides an essential lifeline in times of crisis.

“Few places on earth are as spectacular and as aviation gets past its current challenges, we know the airport will continue to serve the people of Queenstown and Central Otago for many years to come,” Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said.

Colin Keel also acknowledged the many people in the community who work at the airport now or have in the past.

A brief history of Queenstown Airport: 

• On August 14, 1935 Queenstown Airport was first granted its license to operate by the Civil Aviation Authority. The aerodrome was established in 1935 by the Frankton Aerodrome Board.
• After World War II (December 1946) Bill Hewett founded Southern Scenic Air Trips and commenced charter operations from Queenstown. He was soon joined by other ex-servicemen; Tex Smith, Fred ‘Popeye’ Lucas and Barry Topliss, and the company was renamed Southern Scenic Air Services.
• By the 1950s, commercial flights were commonplace, with the majority going between Queenstown and Milford Sound. Southern Scenic introduced the first scheduled air service from Queenstown to Dunedin on July 17, 1950 and the first airfield at Milford Sound was operational from May 1952.
• In 1964 the first small terminal was built and Mount Cook Airlines began to fly DC-3 aircraft into Queenstown. The first flight was on February 3, 1964 from Christchurch, carrying about 30 passengers and two crew. 
• Queenstown Airport welcomed its first international flight on July 1, 1995 operated by Air New Zealand from Sydney, bringing Australians in time for the ski season. In July 2005 Qantas introduced direct services to Queenstown from Australia.
• In 2014 the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved the airport’s evening flights safety case. It was an historic moment for Queenstown Airport and a major milestone for New Zealand aviation and tourism when domestic and trans-Tasman after-dark flights then began in 2016.

PHOTOS: Supplied