Airport type Public 05/23 700 Code KBZ Phone +64 3-319 6580 | Elevation AMSL 19 ft / 6 m 700 2,297 Elevation 6 m | |
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Operator Kaikoura District Council Location Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand Address Kaikoura 7374, New Zealand Similar Beachfront Kaikoura Peketa B, Wings Over Whales Kaikoura, Kaikoura TOP 10 Holiday P, Kaikoura i‑SITE Visitor Inf, Alpine Pacific Holiday P | ||
Kaikoura Aerodrome (IATA: KBZ, ICAO: NZKI) is an uncontrolled aerodrome located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southwest of Kaikoura at Puketa on the South Island of New Zealand.
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History
The aerodrome was opened in 1964. It was constructed by council staff at a cost of 4000 pounds. It had an original grass runway of 575 meters. In 1983 the Kaikoura aero club was formed. In late 1995 the runway was sealed for the increased traffic and to protect it from damage caused by rabbits. In 1990-91 Air Charter LTD operated scheduled flights to Christchurch using Cessna 210 aircraft. On the 19 July 2004 Sounds Air started twice daily services between Wellington and Kaikoura using its Airvan aircraft. But these were also terminated as of May 2009 services ended as were not a success.
From Monday the 21st of November, 2016, Sounds Air began a temporary Monday to Friday air service from Kaikoura to Blenheim and Christchurch, after the main transport links to the town were severed due to the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. The service was planned to run for at least three weeks, using the company's Cessna Caravan.
Wings Over Whales
A scenic flight operator based at Kaikoura offers 30-minute flights for whale watching. Their fleet consists of two aircraft:
Air Kaikoura is another scenic operator based at the aerodrome since 1983.
Operational information
The aerodrome is operated by Kaikoura District Council and is available for general use without the permission of the operator.