A solar farm, new hangers and improvements to Whakatāne’s unique terminal are included in a new airport master plan.
The plan was adopted at a recent meeting of Whakatāne District Council’s infrastructure and planning committee after two years of planning and consultation with airport users and mana whenua Ngāti Awa and Taiwhakaea hapū.
The airport is built on land confiscated by the Crown in 1866, and the iwi’s Treaty settlement stipulates it must be returned to Ngāti Awa if it is no longer reserved for airport use.