Milford Sound airport's busy tourist aerodrome receives formal safety certificate

Wednesday, 22 November 2023

One of New Zealand’s busiest aerodromes will be considered safer now that it has qualified under Civil Aviation Authority rules.

Milford Sound Airport chief executive Rob Somers said the aerodrome in Milford Sound, Fiordland, had received a Qualifying Aerodrome Operator Certificate and now conformed to formal safety rules.

This provided clarity and clear leadership for aviation stakeholders, he said.

“The previous safety practices are now more formalised and documented, which in turn offers another layer of comfort and protection to our customers.”

The aerodrome is mainly used by tourism and sightseeing operators, and the certification comes ahead of what’s expected to be one of the busiest summers for Milford Sound in quite a few years.

The aerodrome was one of the busiest in the country by number of aircraft movements, Somers said.

“Aeroplanes and helicopters use this aerodrome heavily to allow tourists and locals to access the beauty of Milford Sound Piopiotahi.”

It was in an area with rugged terrain and severe weather, which meant a high standard of safety management was important, he said.

Milford Sound Airport is the second facility in New Zealand to qualify for the certification after the Glacier Country Heliport in Franz Josef.

Somers said the Civil Aviation Authority had determined that the aerodrome should be qualified after Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport undertook an aeronautical study in 2021.

The authority’s aeronautical services manager, Sean Rogers, said at the time that it had assessed the aerodrome’s safety needs given its unique aviation environment.

This report assessed the appropriateness of the “current risk mitigation needed to help keep people safe both in the air and on the ground at Milford Sound”, he said.

Invercargill Airport took over management of Milford Sound Airport in August.

Somers, who is also the operations manager for Invercargill Airport, said adding Milford had been a natural next step for the Invercargill team, considering some of the Milford Sound Airport staff also have roles at Te Anau Airport Manapouri.

“The privilege of being able to work and contribute to one of New Zealand’s most beautiful treasures was too good an opportunity to pass up,” he said.

Milford Sound is expected to welcome 800,000 or so people this summer, about 5% of whom will arrive by air, based on the patterns of previous years.

Clarification: Some staff from Milford Sound Airport also have roles at Te Anau Airport Manapouri. However, the Te Anau facility is not managed by Invercargill Airport as mentioned in a previous version of this story. (Amended at 10.50am on November 23, 2023)