Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Whakatāne Airport (NZWK) is a small regional aerodrome on the coast of the eastern Bay of Plenty, about ten minutes from Whakatāne town centre. It has served as the gateway to the region since 1963 and today handles scheduled Air Chathams and Sunair services alongside flight training, agricultural, tourist and helicopter operations, making it a pleasant and characterful VFR destination for visiting pilots.
Whakatāne Airport sits close to the Bay of Plenty coastline in New Zealand's North Island, serving the town of Whakatāne and the wider eastern Bay of Plenty, including access to the Mount Tarawera tourist area. Opened in 1963, it is a modest regional field whose distinctive terminal building, designed by architect Roger Walker and completed in 1974, was recognised by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I Historic Place in 2019. For a simulator pilot it offers a scenic coastal approach, a mix of sealed and grass runways, and genuine regional airline and general aviation traffic.
The airport lies on the coast of the eastern Bay of Plenty, close to the town of Whakatāne and the settlement of Thornton, at 216 Aerodrome Rd. No controlled airspace detail is given in the available sources, but the aerodrome's flight information service is provided under Christchurch FIS, indicating the field operates in uncontrolled airspace with area traffic information available on request.
Whakatāne has two physical runways aligned 09/27. The main runway, 09/27, is 4,186 feet long, has a hard (sealed) surface and is lit. A parallel grass runway, 09R/27L, is 2,399 feet long and also lit. There is no ILS at the field. Field elevation is 16 feet.
An Aerodrome Flight Information Service operates on 125.5 MHz. The Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) is 118.6 MHz, and Pilot-Activated Lighting is triggered on the same 118.6 MHz frequency by transmitting five pulses at one-second intervals, which activates the runway lights for 30 minutes. Wider area flight information is provided by Christchurch FIS.
The airport sits close to the coast, and pilots inbound can expect coastal views on the approach; the field lies near the settlement of Thornton, a short distance from Whakatāne town. Mount Tarawera, a well-known tourist landmark, lies within the wider area served by the airport and can assist with regional orientation.
Whakatāne Airport opened on 24 January 1963 with a newly sealed runway, built at a cost of 50,000 pounds. Its striking terminal building, described at the time as 'excitingly different', was designed by architect Roger Walker and completed in 1974; in 2019 Heritage New Zealand listed the terminal as a Category I Historic Place. In 2018, work began on extending the runway end safety areas from 90 metres to 240 metres to allow larger aircraft, such as the Saab 340, to operate into the field.
The airport houses a flight school, agricultural aircraft operations, fixed-wing tourist flights and commercial helicopter operations. Air Chathams operates daily scheduled flights to Auckland, having introduced Saab 340 aircraft on the route in November 2019 after previously using a Fairchild Metroliner; Sunair operates services linking Whakatāne with Gisborne, Hamilton and Napier. Scenic flights, including trips to White Island, are also flown from the airport.
