Christchurch Airport began life as an aerodrome at Harewood in 1936, an era when wooden biplanes were a common sight and a flight from Fiji to Brisbane took a full 20 hours! By 1946 the terminal was starting to take shape, with hangars, a small terminal, the water tower and some barracks. The two runways and parallel taxiway concept was established in the early 1950s and in 1960 a new terminal building was in operation.
Since then, there has been continuous development of airport buildings, parking, roading and runway/taxiway/apron systems – and it’s a journey which continues to grow and unfold.