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Invercargill Airport lies on reclaimed land beside the Waihopai/New River Estuary, a mile west of Invercargill's city centre at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. It is the southernmost controlled airport in New Zealand and the Commonwealth, serving as the gateway to Fiordland, Stewart Island and the Catlins, and acting as a winter weather alternate for Queenstown.
Invercargill Airport (ICAO NZNV, IATA IVC) serves the city of Invercargill at the foot of New Zealand's South Island. It is a controlled aerodrome handling scheduled Air New Zealand services, Stewart Island Flights, and charter traffic, and is noted as the southernmost controlled airport in the Commonwealth. For a visiting VFR pilot it offers a well-equipped hard-surfaced main runway alongside grass strips, set in flat estuary country close to the city.
The airport sits on land reclaimed from the Waihopai/New River Estuary, about 1.6 km (one nautical mile) west of Invercargill's central business district, at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. It is a fully secured, controlled domestic aerodrome and the southernmost controlled airport in New Zealand and the Commonwealth. It also serves as an alternate for Queenstown Airport during the winter ski season and during weather diversions.
Invercargill has three physical runways. The main runway, 04/22, is 6820 ft long on the 04 approach and 6703 ft on the 22 approach, hard-surfaced and lit. There are two grass runways: 12/30, at 2439 ft, and 04R/22L, at 2323 ft. Field elevation is given as 0 ft in this database record (OurAirports lists 5 ft). No ILS is available.
Approach, tower and CTAF services are all provided on 118.5 MHz, indicating a single controlled frequency for arriving, departing and circuit traffic. No published ILS approach is available at Invercargill.
Invercargill Airport was formed on land reclaimed from the Waihopai/New River Estuary, with draining and stabilising of the site beginning in 1936 and the airport opening in 1938. Before this, the aerodrome had been based at Dawson Farm, Myross Bush, about 10 km northeast of the city, until 1942. The estuary site proved prone to flooding: it was rendered inoperable for two months in 1984, prompting consideration of relocating back to Dawson Farm. Instead, a large flood protection scheme was constructed, though heavy rain combined with an unusually high tidal surge flooded the airport again in 1987 during the scheme's construction. There have been no flooding problems since. The airport is recognised as the southernmost controlled airport in both New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Invercargill Airport is certified to accommodate small private international passenger flights, with customs inspection and quarantine facilities available by prior arrangement, meaning PPR applies for such movements. It hosts scheduled Air New Zealand services to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, Stewart Island Flights services to Stewart Island, and charter operations, with Southern Wings flight school handling charter bookings from Invercargill. On-field facilities include the Hangar 106 Café and free wireless internet for visitors and travellers. Development land is available for aviation-related expansion.
