Milford Sound Airport is a small but very busy (in terms of flight movements) airport in

Milford Sound Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top t ...

, in New Zealand's

Fiordland Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lake ...

region of the South Island. It is mainly used by tourist / flightseeing operators.

Location

The Airport is located in the village

located at the head of the fiord

. It serves the Milford Sound tourism industry including boats, kayaks,

Milford Track The Milford Track is a hiking route in New Zealand, located amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island. The 53.5 km (33.2 mi) hike starts at Glade Wharf at the head o ...

, as well as the fishing boats based at Milford Sound. It stands at the head of the fiord at the junction of the Cleddau and Arthur rivers.

History

On 17 November 1938, a Southland Airways Puss Moth piloted by Arthur Bradshaw made the first landing in at Milford Sound. However, any further development for air operations into the Fiord was delayed by World War II. Post war pilot Fred 'Popeye' Lucas was the next to land an aircraft in Milford. He landed on the sand spit in his Southern Scenic Airtrips Auster on 22 August 1951. This then sparked the addition of an airstrip for use by his company to expand tourism into Milford Sound. An airstrip was constructed, initially 550 yards (503 metres) in length with the first official landing achieved in May 1952. Over the years the airstrip has been upgraded and lengthened till today's sealed strip of 792 metres. In order for Southern Scenic Airtrips and

National Airways Corporation National Airways Corporation is a commercial aviation company with its head office on the grounds of Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company offers a range of products and services for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter mark ...

(NAC) to be able to fly the larger twin-engine aircraft into the area the airstrip became officially licensed in 1956. Prior to the ability of air operations, Milford Sound had no access in the winter months as the roads became impassable. With the addition of the airstrip, it was recorded that by 1964 more than 400 tourists were taking the 'Gateway to Magnificence Experience' flight to Milford Sound each month at peak holiday time.

Activity

Weather permitting, there is substantial daily charter traffic of light aircraft (mostly Britten-Norman Islander, Cessna 172, 206, 207,

Cessna Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

. GA8 Airvan) to and from Queenstown, Wanaka and

Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Maori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill ...

and on sightseeing trips. Helicopters are also very active. The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority publishes a GAP (Good Aviation Practices) document for flying to/from Milford Sound Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Milford Sound Helicopters is based at the airport.

References

{{authority control Airports in New Zealand Fiordland Buildings and structures in Southland, New Zealand Transport in Southland, New Zealand Transport buildings and structures in Southland, New Zealand

Location

History

Activity

Airlines and destinations

See also

References