Christchurch International Airport

The main airport that serves Christchurch New Zealand. Located in the suburb of Harewood, The airport officially opened on May 18th, 1940 and became New Zealand’s first international airport by 1950; it is the second-busiest airport in new Zealand after Auckland by both annual passengers and aircraft movements. Due to increasing passengers, the airport commenced a construction of terminal upgrade, which began in 2011 and was completed by 2013.

Christchurch International Airport is curfew free, operating 24 hours a day.

Reviews – What People Are Saying

Series of reviews for Christchurch International Airport are posted throughout the internet, and upon reading these reviews, I realized that the airport wasn’t that bad–in fact, most of the reviews contains contents that tells about how good the airport is. Here’s some of the reviews I’ve read.

“Arrived on QF135 from Brisbane in afternoon. Only flight arriving at this time. From disembarking to walking out airport was 20 minutes. Departing on QF134 back to Brisbane, check-in smooth, international departures good for an airport this size. Used Qantas Manaia Lounge, it is quite dark. Good selection of drinks and food available. I went out into the departures area and found a nice comfy chair. Plenty of personal space in departures area. Immigration was all by SmartGate which made the airport experience more pleasant because it was quicker. Christchurch Airport is my favourite of all New Zealand airports. My only disappointment is being made to walk through duty free on arrival and departure.”
—David Dale (Australia)

“Very small and easy to navigate.  Free wifi, clean and new and nice. The bags came out quickly. The bathrooms were clean. It has the usual array of rental car companies serving it. They got us off the plane quickly. It’s a beautiful airport to fly into, especially during sunset. It’s inly served by a few domestic carriers.”
—Mira S. (Chicago, United States)

“One of my favorite airports! Even for an international terminal, it’s quite small which makes getting from check in to your gate can be done quickly. I don’t know if it’s size or efficiency, but luggage seems to come out pretty darn fast everrytime which is a huge plus when you land late at night and are extremely tired. There are some good food options, a bar and some coffee shops as well as some great New Zealand gift shops. There is free WiFi which makes picking up international visitors easier if they don’t have a global plan. The airport is bright, airy and of course, everyone is friendly. Parking is reasonable and very close to the terminal. I never cringe at traveling when my trip starts at CIA!”
—Catherine A. (Bangor, United States)

Aesthetics

The Airport has two perpendicular runways and one grass runway, which is on the other hand is parallel to the primary runway, for use by general aviation. Churchchrist International Airport consists of only a single terminal, which caters for both domestic and international flights, and is situated at the intersection of the two sealed runways. The main terminal building has 58 check-in counters, in addition to self-service check-in kiosks; a baggage claim hall is also found on the ground floor, and as for the first floor: a large retail area is found there, as well as cafes and waiting area. Churchchrist International Airport has 33 gates in total.  

Terminal Map

Contact info:

• Airport Code: IATA: CHC – ICAO: NZCH
• Phone number: +64 3 358 5029
• Website URL: www.christchurchairport.co.nz
• Email: enquiries@cial.co.nz
• Fax number: +64 (3) 353 7730
• Address: PO Box 14001, Christchurch Airport, Christchurch, New Zealand

Conclusion

A small yet very functional airport, spotlessly clean and organized, with distinct architecture and interior design that really makes the airport spacious and airy. Arriving at Churchchrist International Airport must be a nice experience. Have you’ve been to this airport? What are your experiences? How do you find the airport’s ambiance, atmosphere and services? Let us know by commenting below!