AIA - Auckland Airport releases Master Plan

Market Release | 30 June 2026
Efficiency and staged investment at heart of
Auckland Airport’s Master Plan
• Master Plan sets out how New Zealand’s gateway airport can continue supporting trade,
tourism, employment and regional growth
• Future investment decisions guided by demand, resilience, operational performance and
affordability
• Continued emphasis on running existing infrastructure as efficiently as possible before
committing capital to new construction
• Long-term plan protects options for growth while maintaining flexibility over how and when
infrastructure is delivered
• No construction date set for second runway.

Auckland Airport has released its finalised Master Plan, setting out how New Zealand’s gateway
airport could grow and evolve over the coming decades.
The plan recognises Auckland Airport’s role in supporting New Zealand’s economic prosperity by
connecting people, trade and tourism, enabling thousands of jobs across the precinct and
operating the country’s third largest port by value. It builds on feedback from airlines, government
agencies, stakeholders and the community following consultation on the draft released in 2025. A
consistent theme from feedback was the need to balance growth with affordability, flexibility and
making the best use of existing infrastructure before major new projects are required.
Auckland Airport Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui said the Master Plan provides a practical
way to manage growth, while keeping investment decisions tied to demand, affordability and
changing circumstances.
“Auckland Airport is New Zealand’s gateway, but it is also part of a fast-growing city and region.
“We are planning for a future where the airport is more connected, more efficient, more resilient
and easier to use. That means making every part of the precinct work harder not just for travellers
and airlines, but for workers, freight operators and the wider region.”
The Master Plan looks ahead to the late 2040s, showing how the airport precinct could evolve as
travel and trade demand changes. It does not commit Auckland Airport to specific projects or
timing, but identifies the land, development corridors and infrastructure options that may need to
be safeguarded.
Optimising capacity before expanding

While the Master Plan continues to preserve the option of a future second runway, it also
highlights how Auckland Airport will improve capacity and performance through operational
improvements, smarter technology and more efficient use of existing airfield infrastructure before
additional runway capacity is required.
“The question is not simply when to build more infrastructure,” Ms Hurihanganui said.
“It’s how we continue to improve the performance from the infrastructure we already have and
ensure major investments are made at the right time.”
Since the early 2000s, Auckland Airport’s long-term planning has made provision for a second
runway, approximately 2km north of the existing runway. The final Master Plan continues to
safeguard that option and further detailed analysis of existing runway capacity will be undertaken
to identify the appropriate timing, taking into account demand, airline fleet mix, aviation
technology and the operational efficiency of the existing runway.
Today, Auckland Airport handles close to 19 million travellers a year, manages more than 158,000
aircraft movements and supports about $26 billion in trade. By the late 2040s, the airport is
expected to support around 38 million travellers a year.
Key long-term elements of the Master Plan include the ongoing move towards an integrated
domestic and international jet terminal, enhancing regional operations, more efficient airfield and
apron operations, a consolidated cargo precinct, improved surface access, and infrastructure
capable of adapting to future aviation technology, low-emission transport and climate resilience
requirements.
Better connections to and from the airport
More than 25,000 people work across the airport precinct today, and millions of travellers rely on
its road, public transport, parking, walking and cycling connections every year.
The Master Plan recognises surface access as essential to keeping people, freight and airport
operations moving.
The plan includes a staged approach to better use of the existing road network, dynamic lane
changes on Pūkaki Bridge, improved walking and cycling links, protection of rapid transit
corridors, and continued work with Auckland Transport, Auckland Council, the New Zealand
Transport Agency and central government on joined-up regional transport network investment.
This includes opportunities identified through the recent Auckland Deal, an agreement between
the Government and Auckland Council that recognises Auckland Airport as nationally significant
infrastructure and the need for better transport connections to support growth.
Ms Hurihanganui said that beyond the new domestic jet terminal currently under construction,
surface access improvements would be among the most visible early areas of focus.
“Whether they are travelling, working here, moving freight or connecting with someone who is
flying, access matters,” she said.

“As the airport and wider Auckland region grow, we need a transport network that gives people
more choice, improves reliability and supports safe, efficient journeys to and from the precinct.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:

Investors:
Stewart Reynolds
Chief Financial Officer
+64 27 511 9632 stewart.reynolds@aucklandairport.co.nz

Media:
Helen Twose
Senior Manager – Communications & PR
+64 27 254 0790 helen.twose@aucklandairport.co.nz