
Wellington Airport Releases Financial Results
Strong performance across all areas of the business produced an EBITDAF of $130.2 million, up from last years $107.1 million.
Wellington Airport has today announced its financial results for the 12 months to 31 March 2025, highlighted by solid earnings and the commencement of transformational upgrades.
International passenger volume growth of 7.4% underpinned the strong performance despite a slight reduction in domestic passengers relating to airline fleet availability issues which have constrained capacity across the network.
In this period the airport hosted 5.3 million passengers, a slight decrease from last year's 5.4 million, and achieved a net profit after tax of $25.8 million.
Strong performance across all areas of the business produced an EBITDAF of $130.2 million, up from last year's $107.1 million.
Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke comments:
'We are pleased with the year's results given some well-known headwinds, most notably domestic fleet availability issues which worsened this year and are expected to remain a challenge for the next 12 months.
'The last year has seen many milestones for Wellington Airport as we've worked carefully with our airline partners to confirm our infrastructure development programme for the next five years.
'The signs of this plan taking shape are visible all around the airport, including the terminal and retail improvements underway, newly opened carpark, runway upgrades in progress, the new Airport Fire Station getting its finishing touches and our stunning new brand.
'Winning the 'Airport of the Year' award was a fitting end to 2024, but the best is yet to come.'
Other highlights from the 2024/25 financial year include:
New brand launched
37% increase in seats operated to Brisbane
First Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) shipment received
Number one for overall customer satisfaction amongst Australasian airports in ASQ survey's last two quarters
Achieved Level 4+ Airport Carbon Accreditation
20th anniversary of Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards
Celebrated our 65th anniversary
Winner of 2024 Airport of the Year award – NZ Airports (large category)
Notes
Last year's NPAT loss was impacted by the Government's removal of tax depreciation on commercial buildings which had a one-off impact on Wellington Airport alongside many other New Zealand businesses.
Aeronautical revenue has increased due to entering a new pricing period (PSE5). Airline charges are set in five-year periods after consultation with our airline customers and are reviewed by the Commerce Commission.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Second airport consultation period set after community calls heard
PHOTO: ALLIED PRESS FILES The Wānaka community has more time to have a say on the future of the airport, after the first round of feedback was completed. French consultant group Egis has been contracted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council to seek independent feedback from stakeholders and community members, and it has extended the timeline of the independent review. In June, Egis hosted two in-person community sessions in Wānaka, complemented by an online feedback platform that remained open until July 15. Participants now have the opportunity to provide further input during a second round of consultation. In June, the Wānaka Stakeholders Group launched its own proposal for the airport, advocating for a development model centred on strong local input. Group chairwoman Meg Taylor said the council was proceeding with a "dual process" — an application for qualifying aerodrome certification and a Wānaka Airport future review, both to be completed by 2027. Ms Taylor said the council was asking the Upper Clutha community what it wanted to happen at the airport, but risked pre-determining that outcome. The second input period will be from August 25 to September 18 via This will be supported by two in-person drop-in sessions on August 29 and 30, venues and times to be confirmed. Kerr Forbes, aviation lead for Egis in Australia and New Zealand, said "we've heard clearly from the community that they value this opportunity to be involved, and they want more time to contribute".

RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Gisborne Air NZ flights cancelled due to plane repairs
Air New Zealand cancelled flights at Gisborne Airport for the majority of Thursday as two planes needed repairs. Photo: LDR/Gisborne Herald Two grounded planes in need of repairs at Gisborne Airport caused all flights in and out of the airport to be cancelled for most of Thursday. Air New Zealand - the sole airline operating flights from Gisborne to Auckland and Wellington - began cancelling flights in and out of the city's airport on Wednesday after the day's only arrival was grounded. An Air New Zealand spokesperson said all flights today were cancelled as of 3pm. Flights later in the evening remained scheduled in the hope the gates would be clear. Gisborne Airport has two gates, both of which were occupied by aircraft undergoing maintenance work. At the airport lobby at midday on Thursday, people sat with their luggage waiting in hope their flights would stay on schedule and they would arrive at their destinations. Speaking with Local Democracy Reporting in the morning, Mayor Rehette Stoltz described Air New Zealand's service as "a lifeline" and said that when it contacted her on Wednesday, she had urged the airline to have clear communications with passengers. "Don't let people sit there from 5.30 this morning who missed their flights and think it might go at 9 or 10." According to one passenger who was supposed to fly at 6am, the airline contacted him at 3pm on Wednesday, cancelling the flight. However, he was not impressed with the airline's communications. He said they then put him on a flight to Auckland two days later at 5pm; however, his return flight from Auckland to Gisborne was at 3pm that same day. "So I [would have] arrived after I was already supposed to have left." He managed to get a ticket for a flight scheduled at 5pm today but was waiting on standby in case any planes left earlier. He had missed one full day of meetings and would have to fly back to Auckland next week. "I fly often, and every time in the last six months, it has either been delayed or moved," he said. In another instance, two women were supposed to fly to Auckland at 1.55pm to travel to Singapore on Friday. However, they did not find out about the flight delays until they arrived at the airport. They wished the airline had let them know so they could have spent more time with family before their travels. Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said they pre-emptively cancelled flights on Thursday to allow time for engineers to work on the planes. They anticipated services would be restored by the afternoon. Both aircraft were de Havilland Q300s. One had sustained propeller blade damage while in flight, the cause of which is unknown. The other aircraft issue involved a cockpit control check. "Parts have been transported overnight to Gisborne, and our team are working as quickly as possible to get these aircraft back in the air." She said the airline was accommodating customers whose flights had been impacted on the next available service. As there is limited availability over the next couple of days, Air New Zealand has also offered road transportation to Napier, she said. The airline was also looking at "alternate parking options to accommodate flights". "We are very grateful to all affected customers for their patience and understanding while we work to get them to their destinations." Stoltz said she had met with the airline on Monday and Tuesday to meet the new chief executive, Nikhil Ravishankar, who will start his position on 20 October. They talked about how the airline service was a lifeline to the region. "There might be people now missing their international flight, and there is no option for them just to drive because it is seven hours, it's not like Rotorua or Tauranga." She said they were sympathetic and wanted to work closely. "It is a lifeline to us, but they also need to take into account that it is a service to a very isolated region, which is 51 percent government-owned." She said Air New Zealand does try to support the region, noting the flights put on from Gisborne to Napier during Cyclone Gabrielle. "Fingers crossed that's a great sign of what's to come, that there would be very clear comms of what our community can expect, so that they can change their flights and accommodation and be ready, because it costs a lot of money." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.


Newsroom
3 days ago
- Newsroom
Fuelling New Zealand's aviation future
Comment: When I board my flight from Wellington to Sydney, I'm not just thinking about the meetings ahead. As CEO of a transport energy company, I'm acutely aware that the fuel powering that aircraft represents one of our greatest decarbonisation challenges. New Zealand is a geographically remote island, which means air travel is vital to our connection with the rest of the world. Tourism also makes up an essential part of our economy. The overwhelming majority of visitors get on a plane to visit and air transport enables the export of some of our most valuable products to customers across the globe every day. While critical, its contribution to carbon emissions is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Aviation accounts for around 2-3 percent of global carbon emissions, but unlike road transport where we're seeing the adoption of electric vehicles, the technology pathway for low-carbon aviation is far more challenging. There is no battery technology currently on the horizon to power long-haul international flights. For the foreseeable future, if we want to keep flying, we need liquid fuels. Beyond changes such as reducing flights or deploying more efficient aircraft, airlines are looking to alternative jet fuel options, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), as the most viable solution currently available for a lower-carbon emission future in air travel. SAF is an industry term used for a form of alternative jet fuel made using feedstocks such as forestry residues, municipal waste, or used cooking oils with the goal of reducing the lifecycle carbon footprint of jet fuel. SAF is most typically used by international airlines when blended with conventional jet fuel to form part of the overall fuel mix and is considered as a 'drop‑in' fuel, meaning it can be used in an existing aircraft fleet. SAF was first used in New Zealand in September 2022, when Z, in partnership with Air New Zealand and Neste, imported 1.2 million litres – enough fuel to power approximately 400 return flights between Wellington and Auckland. This remains the largest SAF shipment New Zealand has made to date. The aviation sector globally is showing growing interest in SAF. Some airlines have set carbon emission reduction targets, passengers are increasingly conscious of their carbon footprints, and international regulations are generally evolving towards tighter environmental standards. Yet today, SAF represents less than 1 percent of total aviation fuel use worldwide, primarily due to limited supply and high costs. One of the biggest challenges for SAF production is getting enough of the right feedstock (raw material from which fuels are produced). There are several different feedstocks that are commonly used, such as tallow and vegetable oils. Other feedstocks such as woody biomass or hydrogen can technically be used, however these can be harder or more costly to manufacture. The additional layer of complexity with any feedstock is that many have alternative uses in the energy transition, so the best use case for each feedstock needs to be taken into consideration as countries and industries navigate the energy transition. For me it isn't a question of if we need SAF in New Zealand, but how we will be able to successfully establish its supply for the domestic and Trans-Tasman markets when international demand for the product is increasing. At Z, we've spent considerable time over the past few years working with industry partners across Aotearoa to understand what it would take. Our conclusion is clear: we need supportive policy settings to give industry the confidence to invest, combined with strategic partnerships and economies of scale that can deliver SAF reliably and in the most cost-effective way to our airline customers. The global policy race is already underway All of New Zealand's top 10 trading partners now either have SAF-supportive policies in place or have shown support for it. Many countries already have minimum SAF-blending requirements, and over time, market access may depend on meeting these requirements. Without action to establish policy settings that create a level playing field, our region risks losing competitiveness, increased exposure to offshore compliance costs, and being shaped by policies set by others. The call for supportive policy settings extends beyond Z. Air New Zealand's public support for a SAF mandate last year reflects broader industry recognition of what's needed. We're continuing to collaborate with fuel supply chain partners, airports and airlines and their representative groups to help inform the Government on policy settings that aim to keep New Zealand competitive in an increasingly regulated global aviation market. Collaborative advantage Z's view is that New Zealand's approach to SAF should play to our strengths – our strong relationships, particularly our Trans-Tasman connections, may allow us to access SAF supply more effectively than attempting to build domestic production capacity from scratch. That is why Z is looking to our parent company Ampol, to see what opportunities we can leverage with our joint scale. Ampol's Memorandum of Understanding with GrainCorp and Industry Funds Management Investors (IFM) to explore the establishment of an integrated renewable fuels* industry presents one possible opportunity. The initial priority under the memorandum saw Ampol and IFM progress a feasibility assessment of a renewable fuels facility at Ampol's refinery in Brisbane and work with GrainCorp to explore the supply of homegrown feedstocks, including additional crushing capacity to supply canola oil to the potential future plant. The feasibility work for the plant is now complete, and the project has moved into the next phase of pre-FEED (front-end engineering and design). The project is still very much in its infancy, with much progress to be made before it's determined viable, but it's a step in the right direction. It's not the only project on the table, there are others exploring similar opportunities, and every initiative will keep more options on the table to hopefully see the industry create a viable market in the future. The opportunity remains New Zealand needs to evaluate any SAF policy announced in Australia and be ready to consider how it might be mirrored or adapted for the New Zealand market. This isn't just about following Australia's lead; it's about ensuring we don't create unnecessary barriers that fragment what could be a unified Trans-Tasman market. When policies are aligned, this will help investment stay in our region. Aotearoa New Zealand has a genuine opportunity to be part of building a thriving SAF market that could benefit our aviation sector, climate goals and economic competitiveness. *Note: 'Renewable fuels' is an industry term used for liquid hydrocarbons made from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks such as purpose-grown biomass, or from waste material such as tallow or used cooking oil. It includes sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel.