Queenstown Airport spending $7.5m on earthquake strengthening terminal

Friday, 31 May 2019

$7.5 million is being spent earthquake proofing Queenstown Airport terminal.

Queenstown Airport has been undertaking a $7.5 million night-time operation to earthquake-proof its main terminal.

Operations and safety manager Mike Clay said the works included strengthening ceiling areas and other parts of the terminal and were due to be completed in June.

The building met the standards under the Earthquake-prone Buildings Amendment in the Building Act but some elements of it had a New Building Standard (NBS) rating as low as 34 per cent, he said.

Any building below 34 per cent is considered earthquake prone. They can be occupied, but the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineers says it is 'highly risky'.

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Between 34 per cent and 67 per cent of NBS a building is defined as an 'earthquake risk'.

Queenstown is considered to be a significant earthquake risk if the Alpine Fault ruptures.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has identified 22 buildings as 'potentially earthquake-prone'. The list does not include the airport terminal.

Clay said the terminal had no single seismic rating due to its staged construction over many years.

However, the various elements had an NBS rating of between 34 per cent and 95 per cent.

The airport aimed to achieve an overall rating of 70 per cent, once the work was complete.

'We view the terminal as a key asset and are taking all practicable steps to ensure its integrity for the safety of our customers and staff under any circumstance.'

The building was not unsafe, he said.

'As with any infrastructure operator, we are always looking at ways to improve the resilience of our facilities, and keeping our customers and community safe and secure is our highest priority.'

Under the building standards legislation Queenstown Airport Corporation had 7.5 years to complete strengthening works but aimed to complete the work ahead of time, he said.

The corporation also had responsibility for some small buildings at Wanaka Airport and planned to have a seismic assessment of them completed in the next six months.

Almost 200,000 passengers travelling used the terminal in April and 2.3 million for the year ending in April.