KEY POINTS:
Don Huse will depart from Auckland International Airport's top job on Friday and expects to go "cold turkey" for a while.
After 18 years in the airport industry, including five as chief executive at Auckland, he said he will have to go through a period of decompression to
get over the highly addictive aviation sector. His departure was confirmed at the height of board changes and near the peak of potential takeover activity had been signalled beforehand.
He's still coy on what the future holds, aside from heading for the airport's departure gates rather than the executive wing.
"It's a classic transition - I'll have more discretionary time to introduce balance with my wife [Margie] and family. I've got a few irons in the fire but I've been careful to make sure there are no stitches dropped in my current role."
Huse has a reputation as a builder with $500 million in capital works during his tenure and he rates being part of the sod turning ceremony last October as the single moment to highlight in his career at Auckland.
The first stage of the runway was expected to be operational in 2011.
"I don't think too many executives at an airport get that opportunity to be there at such a significant time in an airport's history."
After roles at Wellington and Sydney airports, Huse took over at Auckland as growth was rapidly accelerating from mid-2003 as the threat of bird flu passed, the Iraq war had ended its first stage, Emirates arrived and Air New Zealand was being rejuvenated.
Huse, 61, said the heavy capital investment was essential. Although it was tricky to balance up the needs of all airlines, the move to make Auckland Airport capable of handling the Airbus A380 superjumbo was critical.
"If we didn't do the development work to take the A380 we risked becoming a branch line for Sydney - we as the country's premier airport had to be able to hack it in that company."
Emirates will start flying the A380 between Sydney and Auckland in February.
"We exist within what could be called an Australasian single aviation market so we've got to provide cost effective services so we don't get pipped at the post"
"Unless we're very careful we could see ourselves relegated to just a regional sector and it's critical for New Zealand's future that doesn't happen."
Huse sees an even brighter future role for Auckland as part of an Asia-South America route.
"If you think of our future and the future of South America then that has very compelling dimensions."
In the meantime, aviation had been rocked by fuel price hikes, falling discretionary spending and global economic nervousness.
"Auckland Airport has demonstrated over the last couple of decades how resilient a business it is. Yes, we're in a business cycle where there are some broader macroeconomic headwinds but we have Pacific Blue announcing new services across the Tasman, the A380 early in the new year, Asia-Pacific being a dominant economic force."
Further weakness of the dollar would attract more inbound tourism.
The airport was from late 2006 to early this year in the eye of takeover storms, with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board getting to the formal offer stage before being stymied by the Government in March. Huse says the time-consuming and costly business of dealing with potential new owners comes with the territory for the company which has had between 30 per cent and 40 per cent foreign ownership during the past decade.
"It's not in the day to day business of the airport [but] it is 24/7 and is characterised by very high tempo activity at any time. What you're doing is managing the resources you have available and making sure you don't drop the ball."
Although takeover talk has now stopped he would not rule it out in future.
"It's difficult to speculate about being takeover targets - we are a business which has got very attractive investment fundamentals and that is going to continue to attract domestic and international investment interest."
Longtime Telecom executive Simon Moutter will take over from Huse.
