Hawke's Bay's $20m airport terminal upgrade: Animated video gives first look inside

Locals can finally see what Hawke's Bay's newly redesigned airport terminal will look like, with a concept video being released showing the finished $20.2 million upgrade.

The video provides a walk-through experience, taking the viewer from the car park, through check-in and into the new hospitality and retail space.

Hawke's Bay Airport chief executive Stuart Ainslie said it was "as close to the real experience as you can get".

"It gives a great perspective of the size and scale of the expansion project as well as a feel for the cultural design inputs that will tell a story of Hawke's Bay."

The new terminal will be 4340sq m, 74 per cent larger than the old airport terminal.

The new forecourt entrance to Hawke's Bay Airport. Photo / Supplied

Construction on stage three of the project, the retail and hospitality section, began this week, in the existing airport footprint.

Ainslie said stage 1 and 2 were new builds at either side of the central area, while construction of Stage 3 will be a bit more complex.

"We've completed the operational aspects of the terminal, where people check in for departure and collect bags on arrival, but this next stage is the wow, it's where we get to create the heart of the terminal.

"The first two stages were new-builds, while the last stage will be in the existing centre of the building and will include an expanded retail offering including a new Café Wine bar and a specialist retailer merchandising travel essentials and iconic local products."

It also includes new bathrooms and a new Air New Zealand regional lounge.

Ainslie said the airport wants to run business as usual while the work is completed, but there will be some noticeable changes and temporary facilities.

A concept image of the new cafe and wine bar in the centre of the airport. Photo / Supplied

The existing cafe and bathrooms will remain open, but there will be additional temporary bathrooms near the arrivals hall.

The Air New Zealand regional lounge will be temporarily located downstairs while the current upstairs location is expanded and refurbished.

The project is expected to be completed towards the end of next year.