Improved infrastructure, new bus lanes and new freight-forwarding facilities has helped push up Auckland Airport’s first-half profit.
Financial results for the six months ended December 31 show the airport’s total profit rose 17% to $165.9 million.
Revenue increased 6.9% to $332.4 million while the interim dividend for the 2018 financial year is up 7.5% to 10.75 cents per share.
Auckland Airport chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden says improving travel times and flows around the airport “remained a top priority”.
Infrastructure projects include improvements to the domestic forecourt for passengers, commercial transport operators and buses.
This includes a new outbound bus and T2 lane on Tom Pearce Drive.
The airport also partnered with NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport for major upgrades of the State Highway 20A and Verissimo Drive intersection.
“Our property business has continued to grow too, and in the past six months we have completed a new 6,000m2 building to accommodate the Ministry for Primary Industries and a new 7,000m2 warehouse and office facility for international freight-forwarding specialist Röhlig Logistics.
“We also progressed the construction of the new 20,000m2 Bunnings distribution centre,” van der Heyden says.
The airport company says full-year underlying profit would be in a range of $250 million to $257 million.
The projects are part of the airport’s $1.8 billion transformation plan in infrastructure by 2022.
Three more contact gates for international aircraft, a new domestic jet terminal and upgraded international arrival areas are also part of the project.
