Airport CEO reflects on top-flight tenure

His tenure having started unpromisingly with no passengers due to the Covid lockdown, Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry is leaving almost four years later feeling like he has ‘‘done everything I needed to do in my tenure’’.

Mr Sowry - who is finishing in the middle of next month - said the timing of his departure was right as the groundwork had been laid for five or six years of development that would ‘‘ensure the airport’s fit for purpose for decades to come’’.

He said the airport was the only one in New Zealand ahead of pre-Covid passenger numbers, standing at ‘‘about 112%’’.

‘‘And our dividend last year [$19.6million] was about 150% up on pre-Covid.’’

The dividend returned $14.7m to the 75% majority shareholder, Queenstown Lakes District Council.

Mr Sowry said when he arrived the board felt there was work to be done in terms of the airport’s social licence.

‘‘There’d been clearly plenty of noise and concern expressed in the period leading up to Covid around what the airport was proposing in terms of growth.’’

He said he employed two strategies.

Firstly, he had ‘‘just an awful lot of coffee catch-ups and just listening to people’’.

‘‘It became very clear I’m not going to please everyone, but we wanted to understand everyone’s perspective and ensure we had a balanced and pragmatic approach to how the airport was going to operate going forward.

‘‘I like to think we’ve got that balance somewhere near right.’’

The other strategy was a commitment to operating within existing noise boundaries, out to 2032, while the 10-year strategic plan was developed.

The airport had also reduced its emissions by more than 70% since 2019.

The largest contributor to this being the shift from a diesel boiler to electric.

He said another highlight in his tenure, was the installation of arresting beds at each end of the main runway to stop aircraft overshooting.

Mr Sowry believed they had ‘‘a very constructive, respectful relationship’’ with 25% shareholder Auckland International Airport — ‘‘they certainly don’t overreach’’ — drawing on their experience and knowledge.

A former round-the-world sailor, who was recently elected chair of the NZ Olympic Committee, Mr Sowry said he would remain in Queenstown, aside from some sailing in the Mediterranean.

‘‘I’ve been quick to tell people I’m not retiring, I’m too young for that. I’m not just going to play golf.’’

His successor Shane O’Hare, currently chief executive at Tasmania’s Launceston Airport, will take over the role in September.