Hangar 4 is touted as a state-of-the-art facility and one of the national carrier’s most significant investments in its infrastructure.
It is the largest single-span arch aircraft hangar made from timber in the Southern Hemisphere.
The hangar is 10,000 square metres, 35 metres high and almost 100 metres wide.
Air New Zealand said that space meant it could house a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and two Airbus A320 or A321s at the same time.
It said it would also prepare the airline for the future as it awaited next-generation aircraft, as the hangar was designed to last five decades.
Timber was chosen because of its lighter weight and ability to be sustainably sourced, the airline said.
It’s made from wood from plantations in Nelson and Wodonga, north-east of Melbourne.
The hangar’s trusses each weigh 38 tonnes and were built in 25 metre sections by being put together on site and lifted into place with the country’s largest crawler crane.
There is no surface cabling, underground service pits being used instead.
Air New Zealand said Hangar 4 connected with Hangar 3 next door through shared workshops and tool stores, which would boost efficiency across its maintenance.
The numbers
– First announced in 2019
– 10,000 square metres
– 35 metres high
– 98 metres wide
– Designed to serve the next 50 years
– Targeting a 6 Green Star rating
Chairwoman Therese Walsh acknowledged at Friday’s opening there had been difficult times for the airline.
Air New Zealand reported a profit drop last month and warned passengers should expect airfares to be hiked 5 percent to meet increasing costs.
Net profit of $126 million, down from $146m the year before, came amid soft demand and continuing engine maintenance and plane supply issues.
The airline said at the time it had been hard coping with fewer people flying and, at times, more than 10 planes grounded for engine maintenance.
It had also been grappling with rising fuel costs and regulatory charges.
Outgoing chief executive Greg Foran warned at the profit announcement that the coming year would be as tough as the last.
Air New Zealand said its fuel bill had fallen 12 percent because of lower world prices and fewer flights, but it was offset by higher equipment, labour and landing charges.
A cost-cutting programme had resulted in about $100m in savings.
Last year the airline sent planes that were out of service because of ongoing Rolls Royce and Pratt & Whitney engine supply challenges to be stored in Alice Springs.
It sent A321 and 787 planes that could not be used, with up to four aircraft on the ground there at any one time.
