Construction of a new international terminal at Queenstown Airport is underway, which will expand the current building footprint by a third in time for winter 2015.

Driven by large year-on-year international passenger growth, the 4,080m² addition to the southern end of the terminal will double the size of the airport’s international operations, allowing it to better cater for existing passenger volumes and accommodate future growth.

The new building was designed by John Rogers of CCM Architects to blend in with the wider terminal. While the outer shell will be completed by June 2015, the interior will be developed in three stages.

Stage one will be ready for next winter with new international arrival and departure lounges, a new customs area, airside retail stores, baggage claim and handling areas, a covered walkway, and office space. The changes will allow the airport to process up to 1,000 passengers per hour compared to the current 480.

Stage two will involve spatial reconfiguration to simplify passenger flows between customs, baggage reclaim and the Ministry of Primary Industries’ biosecurity area, as well as housing extra staff facilities. While stage three is predicted to be several years away, it will centre on developing a mezzanine floor, with potential for more gate lounges and retail space.

Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) chief executive Scott Paterson says more space is needed to meet the surging international demand so it makes sense to be able to build a larger building shell and have time and flexibility to develop within it.

“The pop-up structure we installed this winter worked really well and gave us more space for international passengers but we need permanent terminal capacity. Our airlines are supportive of the scale of the new build which will give us the flexibility to move into the space when triggered by demand,” he says.

Cook Brothers Construction is building the airport terminal and RCP is the project manager.