Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said there was more drop zone parking at the domestic terminal and significant space at the international terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell
Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said there was more drop zone parking at the domestic terminal and significant space at the international terminal. Photo / Dean Purcell
An Auckland Airport shareholder has lashed out at what he calls overzealous parking policing at pick-up and drop-off zones outside the international terminal.
Mt Eden man Mark Phillip told the company's annual meeting that people collecting him from a Hong Kong flight were hassled after only a few minutes in the pick-up point.
'There's nothing wrong with people being there for 10 minutes - we were being harassed."
He said he thought the company was forcing people to pay for parking.
"Let's have a user-friendly airport - you're trying to drive everyone into parking," he said.
Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood said there was more drop zone parking at the domestic terminal and significant space at the international terminal.
"It is managed by a company that does it for us. Some do stay for a very long time and that does constrain access for others."
Littlewood said there were security reasons for moving motorists along.
"There are international rules around how we must operate and maintain a safe airport but I can guarantee we are focussed on ensuring the engagement with customers is properly and respectfully done."
Littlewood said the dispute with taxi drivers that flared up and led to threats of a hunger strike two years ago had passed.
Auckland Airport chief executive Adrian Littlewood. Photo / Nick Reed
Drivers complained then that the changes to taxi-rank locations, especially at the international terminal, meant they were missing out on fares and struggling to make a living.
"Some of the taxi companies were new to the airport and didn't have the right operating model and we've had some firm words with a few of them in terms of their performance from a customer point of view," he said.
They had been relocated to covered areas and it was easier for drivers now to pick up fares.
Littlewood told the meeting last Thursday that improving transport links had weakened the case for another airport on the North Shore.
He said one of the key reasons for investigating Whenuapai as a commercial airport was that traffic congestion made it difficult to get from the north to Mangere.
"I think the Waterview Tunnel is going to materially change the access. That is going to make a direct motorway connection all the way from west and north of Auckland direct to Auckland Airport with no off-ramp or traffic lights."
Shortage of land in Auckland also worked against setting up another airport.
"The cost of developing a commercial airport is not insignificant," he said. "It's a multi-billion dollar asset, not only the core airport infrastructure but the transport infrastructure that goes with it. For a city of of 1.5 million the reality is that it's not the best investment."
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