Christchurch Airport

Christchurch Airport is the Gateway to the South Island and New Zealand’s second largest airport, which works with 12 international airport partners to welcome millions of visitors to our place in the world. The airlines operate more than 10,000 international flights and 60,000 domestic flights, from a total of 25 destinations including Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore.

• The airport is the closest airport to Antarctica and works with the New Zealand, American, Italian, Korean and German programmes which support world leading Antarctic science and environmental protection. The Antarctic programmes operate from a road just beyond the integrated terminal, while the nearby International Antarctic Centre is an award-winning visitor attraction which educates and entertains all ages about the icy continent.
• Over winter months, the airport welcomes SOFIA (NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy), a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 2.7m reflecting telescope, which allows astronomers to study the solar system.
• The airport is acknowledged as a leader of innovation, through its work with autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots, and car-share programmes, as well as its world-first partnership with Alibaba, the world’s largest retailer. That partnership has included introducing Alipay to Kiwi businesses, to allow hundreds of millions of the app’s users to learn more about New Zealand and have a better experience when they’re here.
• Christchurch Airport has for the past five years been named by travellers as the best airport in Australasia/Pacific.