Whakatāne Airport is an airport serving the town of Whakatāne, New Zealand, the Eastern Bay of Plenty and the tourist attractions of Mount Tarawera and White Island. History The airport opened on 24 January 1963 with a new sealed runway and a construction cost of 50,000 pounds. It had a 250m runway end safety area (RESA) added to allow larger aircraft such as Saab 340 to land. Air Chathams operates daily flights to Auckland with a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner. The airport houses a flight school, agricultural aircraft, fixed wing tourist flights and commercial helicopter operations. The "excitingly different" terminal building was designed by Roger Walker and completed in 1974. In 2019, Heritage New Zealand listed the airport terminal as a Category I Historic Place. Air Chathams began serving Whakatāne with the Saab 340 on 29 November 2019. Airlines and destinations See also List of airports in New Zealand List of airlines of New Zealand Transport in New Zealand References External links Whakatāne District Council - Airport Information Whakatāne Information Airports in New Zealand Transport in the Bay of Plenty Region Buildings and structures in the Bay of Plenty Region Whakatāne Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Bay of Plenty Region Transport buildings and structures in the Bay of Plenty Region