Capiti Coast Airport closed: Mayor raises civil defense concerns with Prime Minister

Mayor of the Capiti K. Guronatan to the Prime Minister asks the government to explain how important the local airport is in the event of a major earthquake.

Kapiti Coast Mayor, K Gurunathan. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller

The airport in Paraparaumu is privately owned, but Airlines New Zealand stopped providing flight information services to the airport earlier this year, and Gurunathan said they are looking to close it.

He said it raises questions about what would happen in a civil emergency.

The airport plays a role in the National Initial Response Plan for the region that was put together for the Civil Defense, using a “worst-case scenario”.

In such a case, the capital is expected to be isolated by road due to slipping on State Highway 1; Railroads will be out of order; CentrePort will only be able to “provide a limited level of service”.

Wellington Airport will be inoperable for the first two days, but will be able to receive helicopters.

The plan suggested possible damage to the Kobe Coast Airport, but it would still be able to receive helicopters, and it might reopen for some fixed-wing aircraft.

The airport has a specific role in such a scenario: its most important role is as a primary transport link, transporting people to and from the affected areas by helicopter.

Capiti Coast Airport is expected to become the main hub for helicopter operations in the Wellington area. “This will depend on access to the Kapiti Coast Airport to provide commercial logistical support, especially fuel supplies.”

It is also the closest airport to Wellington geographically among the five potential regions of the National Assembly. The other four are Winwabai Air Force Base, Auckland Airport, Ohakia Air Force Base and Palmerston North Airport.

In his letter to the prime minister, Guronathan said that the airport’s importance had been underestimated by previous labor ministers.

“I wrote earlier on September 8 to five of your ministers, and I am concerned about noticing potential issues in their responses that could undermine rapid response in a major emergency,” he wrote.

He said that the transport minister’s response on October 1 indicated that NEMA officials had advised that while Paraparaumu airport would be a useful asset in the Wellington earthquake, it was not “necessary to respond.”

Meanwhile, a response from the Minister of Civil Defense on the same day stated that the initial response plan for the area “did not depend on the availability of Paraparaumu airport because it“ might also be affected ”by the Wellington earthquake and was within a tsunami-inundated area.

The crucial point, Guronathan said, is whether the airport is not affected, and can be used to deliver services to the area – a point the defense minister raised.

He wrote on October 5: “NZDF fixed-wing aircraft would likely use the airport if Wellington were not usable.

“In this case, transporting personnel and / or supplies into or out of Kepete would save approximately one hour by road from Ohakia.”

In his letter, he urged the prime minister to reassess and clarify the importance of the airport.

“It is about the safety and resilience of those in Wellington and the region and the fact that it is the seat of government and its enabling administrative systems.

“As the mayor of the Capiti District, my office and council can only raise the potential importance of this airport in the event of a major earthquake in Wellington.

“The responsibility for ultimately recognizing this role, or clearly relinquishing this role, rests with you and your government, and not on the municipal council or on the owners of private airports.”

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