A crowd watches an aircraft display at the opening of Wellington Airport in 1959. Work began in the mid-1950s after it became clear the existing runwaywas too short for modern passenger aircraft. Houses in eastern Rongotai were demolished so the runway could be extended and realigned on a north–south axis. This also required the reclamation of parts of Evans and Lyall bays. In 2006 the southern end of the runway was further extended to meet international safety standards.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand Free Lance Collection (PAColl-0785)
Reference:
1/2-C-014433; F
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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