Mānawa Bay: Auckland Airport mall delays flights as crew caught in traffic - airlines

Mānawa Bay is just a four-minute drive from Auckland Airport. Photo / Libby Middlebrook.

Airlines are frustrated by traffic congestion caused by Auckland Airport’s Mānawa Bay outlet centre and say some flights have been delayed.

The Board of Airline Representatives said crew and ground handlers were caught up in traffic chaos at the weekend, described as “appalling” by some visitors to the new shopping centre.

“Airline and ground handlers saw staff caught up in congested roads - with some resorting to using bus lanes in an effort to get to work. Customers were caught up in traffic congestion - many were first delayed getting to park and ride locations, and then delayed again trying to catch buses to the terminals,” said the board’s executive director Cath O’Brien.

The new $200-million-plus centre opened on Thursday and despite preparation to minimise delays by the airport company, traffic was jammed at the weekend and the area was busy again today with bottlenecks on the main approach to airport.

O’Brien said airlines worked hard to accommodate customers who arrived late to the terminal.

In some cases this meant checking customers or bags in past usual deadlines, rushing passengers and bags to aircraft. In other cases customers were moved to later flights without penalty, she said.

“Auckland Airport has proclaimed the success of the new retail offering – yet its new shopping mall has made life more difficult for travellers.”

Congestion caused aircrew and ground handlers to be late for shifts, which had consequences for airline departures.

While Auckland Airport told the Herald there had been no flight disruptions, the board was aware that services were delayed because aircrew were late to reach gates, having been caught up in traffic congestion.

Auckland Airport had planned its roading network to serve the shopping mall with highways now pulling traffic from the north and south to the mall.

“Airlines are forced to pay for the majority of these roads in aeronautical pricing – but for a commercial purpose that actually makes working at, and travelling from, the airport harder,” said O’Brien.

Airlines are in dispute with the airport over aeronautical pricing and she said it was time to take “a careful look” at what’s going on at Auckland Airport.

Auckland Airport said today it knew opening weekends for shopping centres can be busy, and traffic volumes were considered as part of planning for the opening of Mānawa Bay.

‘‘We studied mall and major retail openings across Auckland and internationally and the pattern is for a big opening weekend before things settle and normalise,’' said a spokeswoman.

The airport was ‘‘well prepared’' for this with a specialist event and traffic management team on site actively managing traffic signals and adjusting flows to ensure travellers to and from the terminals had the quickest journey times.

‘‘We recognise the roads around the airport were busier than usual over the weekend, with some slower journey times at certain points, particularly on the roads leading directly to Mānawa Bay.’'

While there was some congestion in the afternoons over the weekend, the company expected a more regular pattern to settle in quickly and thank people for their patience.

‘‘We believe traffic volumes will ease in the weeks to come but encourage travellers and shoppers alike to plan ahead and check traffic conditions across their journey to the airport,’' said the spokeswoman.

Auckland Airport is the country’s busiest with 18.5 million passenger movements in the last year and is Aotearoa’s international gateway.

O’Brien said she remained hopeful the final report of the Commerce Commission on Auckland Airport’s pricing will propose an inquiry. A draft review found the airport’s excess profits ranged between $193m and $226.5m.

“When the largest airport monopoly in New Zealand is opening new shopping malls that congest airport operations, while setting airline prices that target up to $226m in excess profits.”

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.