1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,200
Speaker 1: Now New Zealand's best large airport is not Auckland, not Wellington,

2
00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:08,560
Speaker 1: not christ Church, Queenstown. Judges from the New Zealand Airport's

3
00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,720
Speaker 1: Awards said the airport had exceptional performance across safety, commercial

4
00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,280
Speaker 1: and community outcomes, and that they were particularly impressed with

5
00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,759
Speaker 1: Queenstown's new end of runway safety system. Todd Grace is

6
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,360
Speaker 1: the airport's chief operating officer and with us Hello.

7
00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,000
Speaker 2: Todd, Hello here, how are you very well?

8
00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:23,720
Speaker 1: Thank you? Congrats?

9
00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:28,120
Speaker 2: Have you guys celebrated, Yes, we're starting to celebrate. I

10
00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,000
Speaker 2: think the team that were up in Blenham last night

11
00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,320
Speaker 2: may have celebrated into the wee small hours. So we're

12
00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:34,760
Speaker 2: going to do something with the team over the next

13
00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:36,240
Speaker 2: couple of days. But we're really pleased.

14
00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,760
Speaker 1: Okay, so were you expecting it?

15
00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:44,159
Speaker 2: You never really expected. And we're relatively smaller airport in

16
00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,360
Speaker 2: the large airport category, but you know we've done a

17
00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,160
Speaker 2: great job and you know we've grown back really strong

18
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,640
Speaker 2: post COVID. We're about the only airport in New Zealand

19
00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,320
Speaker 2: that is back past pre COVID levels where it's a one

20
00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,960
Speaker 2: hundred and twenty percent of COVID. So and you know,

21
00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,480
Speaker 2: our customers love coming here, the airlines love coming here.

22
00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:01,320
Speaker 2: In the region has a lot to offer, So I

23
00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:02,800
Speaker 2: think we think we do a really good job.

24
00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,600
Speaker 1: Yeah. So I love what you've done with some of

25
00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,200
Speaker 1: the new stuff and the new toilets that you've made

26
00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,120
Speaker 1: in the departure lounge. Is it looks really great. But Todd,

27
00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,400
Speaker 1: I was a little surprised because I was there on

28
00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,840
Speaker 1: Sunday and we were talking about how it's always chaotic

29
00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,040
Speaker 1: at Queenstown Airport. Why is it always chaotic at Queenstown Airport.

30
00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,240
Speaker 2: Well, we do have these peaks in the afternoon, and

31
00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,800
Speaker 2: you know, we suffer from our own popularity, and so

32
00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,000
Speaker 2: we know that we've got quite a lot of work

33
00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,440
Speaker 2: ahead of us and we're really just at the beginning

34
00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,200
Speaker 2: of that. So some of the things that we've done

35
00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:37,840
Speaker 2: have been to improve the customer experience and get the

36
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:38,960
Speaker 2: airfield working right.

37
00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,200
Speaker 1: And you just need more space, don't you, Because you know,

38
00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,240
Speaker 1: you go to the screening gates, you go through that

39
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,920
Speaker 1: weird like little rat race thing that you do, and

40
00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:49,800
Speaker 1: then you're like straight into the screening space and then

41
00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,400
Speaker 1: you're out the other and it's just so tight. Isn't

42
00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:53,200
Speaker 1: that your problem? Yeah?

43
00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,240
Speaker 2: Well, we do. We absolutely need more space. And we're

44
00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,360
Speaker 2: probably one of those airports that suffered from about to

45
00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,920
Speaker 2: start something pre COVID and the world changes and we

46
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,040
Speaker 2: come back from COVID and it all bounces back. So

47
00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,080
Speaker 2: we're just at the beginning of that and we know

48
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,079
Speaker 2: that at certain times of the day it is tight,

49
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,080
Speaker 2: and that's why we have a plan and we've and

50
00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,600
Speaker 2: we've worked through that through with airlines about how to

51
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:16,440
Speaker 2: develop the terminal and how to grow more space. Infrastructure.

52
00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:18,080
Speaker 1: You put the Coro club on the right side of

53
00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,480
Speaker 1: the screening a and that stops.

54
00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,480
Speaker 2: That stops that mad rush to screening. But you know,

55
00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,600
Speaker 2: infrastructure and airports, as most airports around the world, Fine,

56
00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,880
Speaker 2: it takes time to get stuff and get to live it.

57
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,200
Speaker 1: Hey will listen. Thanks, And I'm a little bit sorry

58
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,200
Speaker 1: that I introduced a negative I am sorry that I

59
00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,399
Speaker 1: introduced a negative tone to your when you deserve it, obviously, Todd,

60
00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,959
Speaker 1: because I'm not the judges. They are. Todd Grace, chief

61
00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,920
Speaker 1: operating Office at Queenstown Airport. For more from Heather Duplessy

62
00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,760
Speaker 1: Alan Drive, listen live to news Talks. It'd be from

63
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,440
Speaker 1: four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,