Christchurch airport considering upgrades for superjumbo

Christchurch International Airport is examining the feasibility of upgrading its facilities to accommodate the new Airbus A380 superjumbo.

Chief executive George Bellew warned, however, the giant planes were likely to be seen in Canterbury skies later rather than sooner.

The planes, which could 555 passengers, officially unveiled earlier this week.

Emirates and Qantas have suggested they would use the aircraft on some New Zealand bound routes.

Auckland International Airport has already said it is spending about $25 million on upgrading facilities for the giant aircraft.

At Christchurch, recent work on international parking gates saw the upgrade of two gates to be able to accommodate the A380.

"We currently are studying the needs in terms of the runways and taxiways in order to be A380-compatible," Mr Bellew said.

"It would appear the standards would require some stabilisation of the shoulders of the runway," he said.

"The load-bearing part of the runway is wide enough, it's a case of preventing jet blast erosion on the shoulders of the runway."

There would be a "considerable" cost involved in such work, and the company was looking at commercial ramifications involved in doing it or not, Mr Bellew said.

"There's not going to be a lot (of A380s coming to Christchurch) but it could be that we could either be an alternate if aircraft are diverted, or that carriers that are using the A380 on thicker routes -- such as into Australia -- might elect to continue on to places like Christchurch."

At least three airlines that regularly use Christchurch -- Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines -- were committed to buying the A380.

- NZPA