NEW ZEALAND. Prime Minister Helen Clark today officiated at a dual ceremony at Auckland International Airport.
The occasion was the official opening of the new level of the international terminal pier and a celebration of the airport’s 40th anniversary.
The Prime Minister joined Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis, airport Chairman Wayne Boyd and Auckland International Airport Chief Executive Don Huse on a tour of the new pier level and its facilities. They later unveiled a plaque commemorating the airport’s 40 years of operation.
The international terminal pier separation project added another floor to the existing pier, in line with international security requirements. The NZ$47 million project, which includes extensive new retail and other commercial facilities, took three years of planning and 17 months of construction.
Huse said “The entire project team and wider airport community can be justifiably proud of the development, which has been completed on time, on budget and to specification.
“The following statistic tells a powerful story of the growth of the airport: in 1977, when the international terminal was first opened, the floor area came to just over 12,000sq m. Today, thanks to many alterations and additions, the size of the terminal is over eight times as large at nearly 100,000sq m.”
Prime Minister Helen Clark said that, in its 40-year history, Auckland International has grown to be the second busiest airport in Australasia. “Auckland International has become one of New Zealand’s key economic assets, and is set to develop and expand even further over the next 40 years,” she said.
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