Waikato regional economic profile - Waikato Regional Council

Wellington Airport 593 per hour. The only freight handled by Hamilton InternationalAirport is general cargo carried on domestic flights.Figure 56: Hamilton International Airport passengers (2011)In the year ended June 2011 there were 10,400 international arrivals to HamiltonInternational Airport, 0.42 per cent of the national total. More than two-thirds ofinternational passengers arrive or depart through Auckland Airport, as shown in figure57.Figure 57: International arrivals by airport (2011)The majority of international visitors who arrive at Hamilton International Airport statethe purpose of their trip is to visit friends or family (71 per cent in 2011), as shown infigure 58. Holiday/vacation is the next most popular reason at 21 per cent, followed bybusiness at 3 per cent. Christchurch and Queenstown get a much higher share ofvacationers (62 and 80 per cent), while Wellington gets the highest share of visitors forbusiness reasons (18 per cent). The number of international arrivals in Hamilton,particularly business visitors, peaked in the early 2000s after the extension of therunway and the entry of trans-Tasman carrier Freedom Air. Air New Zealand took overFreedom Air’s international operations in 2008 and cancelled international flights fromHamilton in 2009. Virgin Australia currently provides the only international flights fromHamilton International Airport, with Brisbane as the sole destination.Doc # 2069885 Page 53