West Auckland Airport Parakai West Auckland Airport is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

(GA) airport on the North Western edge of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is close to the town of Parakai and 2

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(3.8 km) northwest of

Helensville Helensville () is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku to the south, and Ka ...

at the southern end of the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auck ...

. The Airport is operated by West Auckland Airport Company Ltd, under 'Airport Authority' status.

History

The Helensville Aero Club operated from Helensville Airfield from the 1940s, moving to Parakai and renaming the airfield as Parakai Airfield ( Parakai Aerodrome) during the 1960s. Starting with a grass surface, the runway was realigned and built up with limestone during the 1980s to make it usable all year round, and the surface gradually improved. Services provided: Flight training by various clubs and flying schools, taking students up to Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) level. Commercial flights to

Great Barrier Island Great Barrier Island () lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest List of islands of New Zealand, island of New Zealand. Its highest point, Mount Hobson, Great Barrier ...

. Private aircraft hangarage. Intensive

Skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

operations built up from 1986 and in 2003 and 2013 the NZ Skydiving Championships were held at the airfield. From 2013 onwards many NZ Skydive Championships have been held at the Airport. On 17 February 2020, an 'Order in Council' was passed designating West Auckland Airport Company Ltd an 'Airport Authority' under the 'Airport Authorities Act 1966', which came into effect on 1 April 2020.

Present day

West Auckland Airport is one of three GA airports serving light aircraft in Auckland, along with Ardmore Airport to the south east and North Shore Airfield to the north east of the city. The Airport is working towards becoming a secondary regional Airport to provide domestic flights for the 400,000 Auckland residents for whom it is the nearest airport. The location allows for major development without displacing any houses or the existing light aircraft runway. Flight Instructors provide flight training from

ab initio ( ) is a Latin term meaning "from the beginning" and is derived from the Latin ("from") + , ablative singular of ("beginning"). Etymology , from Latin, literally "from the beginning", from ablative case of "entrance", "beginning", related t ...

through to the

Microlight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

Advanced National Pilot Certificate in 3-axis

Tecnam Costruzioni Aeronautiche TECNAM S.p.A., commonly known as Tecnam, is an Italian aircraft manufacturer. As of 2025, Tecnam has delivered over 7,500 aircraft worldwide and employs more than 500 people across its facilities in Capua and the Naples ...

aircraft. All training aircraft are dual control and two of them have BRS 'whole aircraft' parachutes installed. The airport is base for Leading Edge Aviation Ltd aircraft engineers (the Southern Hemisphere repack Station for BRS Ballistic parachutes), Skydive Auckland, three flight training organisations, and the 'Aimm' Airport Movement Management System. Most

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

(FBO) services are available including fuel

Avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the United Kingdom, UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in moto ...

and Mogas. Hangarage for private aircraft is often available in the 16 privately owned and FBO hangars. Space is available for building of private hangars. Being an 'Airport Authority' allows considerable flexibility of usage for non-Aviation industries, so long as the activity does not conflict with Airport operations.

Operational information

*Airport elevation is 6 ft AMSL *Runway 07/25 is 760m of Bitumen and a 140m all weather extension with grass on limestone, for a total length of 900m. On takeoff or go-around, all aircraft, including rotorcraft, must remain over the centreline of the runway and below 500 ft until well past the ends of the runway to maintain separation from parachutes. *Taxiways: There are concrete taxiways to all permanent hangars. *Circuit: RWY 07 – left hand; RWY 25 – right hand *Circuit height: 1000 ft AMSL, all circuits to the north. Due to frequent skydiving, aircraft must join downwind, base or final (NOT overhead) and fly a wide circuit. The airport is uncontrolled with mandatory radio calls on 123.5 within 10 nm of the airport. By road West Auckland Airport is 34 minutes from the Auckland CBD and 30 minutes from Silverdale.

Sources

*NZAIP Volume 4 AD
New Zealand AIP (PDF)

External links

The West Auckland Airport Parakai Web Site
{{authority control Airports in New Zealand Transport in Auckland Transport buildings and structures in the Auckland Region Rodney Local Board Area