Sky exits Auckland airport hotel plan

By CHRIS DANIELS

Auckland International Airport yesterday announced the death of its joint-venture plan with listed gambling and hotel company Sky City to build an airport hotel.

The two companies said in March last year that they would do a joint feasibility study into building an airport hotel.

Airport chief executive John Goulter said at the time that a hotel "would appear to be a logical extension" to the facilities already offered at the airport. He said Sky City's subsequent decision to build a new hotel and convention centre in Auckland's CBD was the reason it was no longer interested in an airport hotel.

Goulter said the company would continue to examine the economics of building an airport hotel. This would "obviously be enhanced through the involvement of a recognised hotel operator", he said.

He gave details of the successful development of one of the company's other real estate projects, a 2200sq m office building, due to be finished at the end of this month.

The three-storey building was fully tenanted and the company would be considering a further office development nearby.

The company also said yesterday that a record 125,188 international passengers used the airport in the week ended January 12. This beat the previous record by nearly 11,000.