Hawke’s Bay Airport has once again won the Medium Airport of the Year award at the New Zealand Airports Association awards.
And for its sustainability efforts, joins an elite group of 45 airports worldwide.
The awards, held last week, celebrate the best of New Zealand airports, and cover the 12 months to 30 June 2023.
The regional airport received three awards this year – repeating its 2022 success.
Airport CEO Rob Stratford said he was extremely proud of the Hawke’s Bay Airport team and what they had achieved.
“To win three awards two years running is especially rewarding,” he said.
“The year to June 2023 was an extraordinary year for our airport, with the completion of the stunning new forecourt bringing the final touch to our new terminal, the response to Cyclone Gabrielle, and our international carbon accreditation, which saw our sustainability efforts recognised with the highest global level of achievement.”
The Hawke’s Bay Airport won the following awards:
• The Medium Airport of the Year award.
• The Sustainability Initiative of the Year award (medium airport) – for the airport achieving its Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+ Transition status. HBAL is currently the only airport in Australasia to achieve the stringent 4+ Transition accreditation and is now in an elite group of less than 45 airports worldwide in the ACA 4+ category.
• The Customer Engagement Initiative of the Year award (medium airport) – for the airport’s Cyclone Gabrielle community response.
Stratford said the airport was a lifeline asset and regional economic enabler which all of Hawke’s Bay could be proud of, and the awards reflected that.
“Our response to Cyclone Gabrielle was a moment in time that no one could have expected, and the value to customers and people using the terminal as a lifeline during the cyclone is unquantifiable. Being able to support the community in times of extreme need is a rare privilege, and why we do what we do.”
Was at the airport a few weeks ago and I thought that the signage was poor and that the PA system was garbled and we could not understand what was being said. For a new airport I expected better.