Paraparaumu Airport

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Paraparaumu Airport
IATA: PPQ - ICAO: NZPP
Summary
Airport type		Unattended, Non-Certificated Aerodrome
Serves		Paraparaumu
Elevation AMSL		22 ft (7 m)
Coordinates		40°54′20″S, 174°59′20″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
16/34	4,429	1,350	Bitumen
16/34	2,001	610	Grass
11/29	3,268	996	Bitumen
11/29	1,345	410	Grass

Aerial view of Paraparaumu Airport looking towards Paraparaumu Beach.

Paraparaumu Airport (IATA: PPQ, ICAO: NZPP) is an airport located on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Paraparaumu Beach is to the west and north, Paraparaumu to the east, and Raumati Beach to the south. The Wharemauku Stream flows through part of the airport's land.

Originally government-owned, the airport served as the greater Wellington region's main airport until Wellington International Airport opened in 1959. It was privatised in 1995.

The then grass Rongotai Airport had been closed for safety reasons in 1947; and Paraparaumu was made available as an "Emergency Airport" by the government. 35 miles from Wellington, it dropped New Zealand National Airways Corporation's Cook Strait traffic by a 1/3 in a single year, due to the isolation. Nonetheless, Paraparaumu was the country's busiest airport in 1949; with up to 20 DC-3s and Lodestars lined up on its apron.

The original runway dimensions were (16/34) 1350m x 45m with a 85m starter extension available on runway 16, nearly touching Kapiti Road which runs past the aerodrome. At that time, secondary runway (11/29) was 1239m x 30m.

A crash occured near Paraparaumu in 1949 when a Lodestar inbound from Whenuapai (Auckland) crashed into the Tararua Range. Paraparaumu Tower had cleared the aeroplane to fly under Visual Flight Rules when the cloud base was below 800m; and for some reason never ascertained the aeroplane turned east into the ranges, instead of out to sea near Kapiti Island to line up with the main runway.

A second crash occured in 1952 when a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohatuhatu Road, Raumati Beach. 3 children on board died in the fire that followed (no flight attendants on domestic flights until 1956); but the Captain helped everyone else to safety.

Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing fans. Also - even at that time - housing areas were very close to the south and west of the airport; and since the mid 1980s, to the north as well, directly across Kapiti Road.

From 1952 - 57 Wellington (rather peculiarly) had two domestic airports; NAC running Herons from Rongotai (which CAA had dubiously agreed to reopen on strict conditions), mainly to Blenheim and Nelson, but also to Rotorua via Napier; and everything else went through Paraparaumu. When NAC introduced Viscounts in early 1958 they could only operate to Christchurch and Auckland - Paraparaumu's runway being about 300m too short - but then the reconstructed and much improved Rongotai Airport opened - although its terminal remained the old Tiger Moth factory until the late 1990s; and Paraparaumu ceased being Wellington Airport and became the city's general aviation airfield from the late 1950s.

The Kapiti Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses. The aerodrome also serves as a base for the New Zealand helicopter company Helipro, who offer both fixed-wing and helicopter flight training, charters, and other commercial services. Due to the relative infrequency of commercial flights, it is a popular base for private and leisure flights in the Wellington region.

As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but eventually a decision was made instead to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site. Recently, some of the airport's property has been sold to allow for residential development, including part of the main runway area.