Construction of a $4 million, 1470sq m building to house a new baggage area at Queenstown Airport will begin on Monday and is scheduled to open on December 7.
Queenstown Airport commercial general manager Simon Barr said the area would more than triple the size of the existing baggage carousel and was necessary to accommodate the increasing number of passengers using the airport - predicted to include a 60% growth in international passengers and a 10% growth in domestic passengers in the next year.
"Our current facilities are designed to cope with passenger numbers of around 700,000 per year, while we are actually expecting to reach almost 1 million over the next 12 months.
"Of those numbers, the airport is designed to handle 5% international and 95% domestic, but our actual passenger mix is closer to 20% international and 80% domestic," Mr Barr said.
International passengers had a "greater impact" on airport facilities and the new baggage area upgrade would remove "impediments to growth" at the check-in end of the terminal "for the medium term".
"In late 2009, we expanded the check-in hall to accommodate new airline services.
"We knew at that time that the baggage area would be the next area to come under pressure and require a solution.
"The speed with which we have been able to develop the baggage make-up solution is a reflection of the very constructive relationship we have with our airline customers and security providers.
"We are grateful to our ground-handling teams for their co-operative approach working in the existing, undersized make-up area and are delighted that their patience will be rewarded by year end."
The building and carousel were expected to be completed in time for the new international Jetstar services into Queenstown which begin on December 9, and Air New Zealand's introduction of A320 domestic jets from January.
The new international services and domestic fleet upgrade would be difficult to accommodate without the new building, Mr Barr said.
The project had been designed to take place with minimum disruption to existing operations with the new building complete and the carousel ready to use before an overnight changeover of systems.
He said the baggage area would be "operationally efficient" and would also provide flexible infrastructure, able to accommodate future growth or changes.
Baggage handling company Glidepath would create the system, while Naylor Love Construction would be putting up the building.
