Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia
An aviation industry group says traffic congestion around a new outlet mall, a stone’s throw from Auckland Airport, is frustrating airlines and causing some delays.
Mānawa Bay, which is owned by Auckland International Airport, is less than three kilometres from the airport and has attracted some huge crowds since it opened late last week, causing traffic chaos.
The mall owner expects traffic volumes will ease in the coming weeks.
Auckland Council said the mall had to meet several conditions relating to access, parking and traffic circulation and there was a detailed transport assessment as part of the consent process.
However, the board of Airline Representatives said baggage handlers and crew had already been caught in the traffic bottle neck.
Executive director Cath O’Brien told Checkpoint the outlet mall’s busiest times would be the same time as the airport’s peak times.
Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia
“It will be busy around Christmas and Easter and school holidays, which is unfortunately exactly the same time for Aviation and travel. It’s busy around the airport.”.
There was only two ways into the airport precinct, from the north and the south, and these roads were becoming blocked and congested, she said.
“Staff are getting caught up in those traffic jams as they try to get to work.”
If heading to the mall, Mānawa Bay customers will be travelling along the same road as someone going to the airport, until they turn off at the last minute.
“If you come in from the north, coming through the tunnel and coming on into the airport precinct, you’re heading towards the airport just as if you’re a traveller, until you turn left at more or less the last minute,” she said.
“Then from the south, you’ll come over the bridge coming from the Pūkaki Inlet direction and again you’ll come towards the airport just as if you’re a traveller until you turn right at the last minute.”
She said the Auckland Airport had built the precinct to get more commercial benefit.
Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia
“It’s designed its roading network to take customers to that outlet mall. Airlines have had to pay for some of those roads that the airport has built to bring congestion into the airport precinct, which makes it harder to do business, it’s really frustrating.
“I think they know full well what they are doing when they build a commercial building like an outlet mall at the airport. Because of course you know the regime exists that the airport can make as much money as it likes from its commercial business separate from its airport business.”
After speaking to different airlines and ground handlers about how they found the first weekend of the opening, they said delays were caused, she said.
“One airline spoke about flights that were delayed because crew were late to reach gates and a ground handler spoke about staff that were late to start shift on the Saturday and Sunday afternoon,” she said.
“Another airline spoke about having to re-accommodate customers who turned up late to airport, so they had to get moved to different flights without charged.”
She said the spend of capital on the mall itself was not her concern as it was not something airlines had to pay for.
“But airlines do actually have to pay for the roads to quite a large percentage. What is frustrating is to watch this traffic congestion build up and roads that airlines have had to fund and and make it harder for us to do business.”
She said the Commerce Commission was looking at Auckland Airport’s pricing.
But ultimately this regulatory regime that allows the airport to make its commercial profit while at the same time kind of using airlines to pay for the things that serve that commercial business is endlessly frustrating.”
The airlines were stuck with the issue currently and they will see the roads congested around Christmas and at Easter and at school holidays, she said.
“The next sort of round of pressure that will come on is for better traffic management, which actually looks like the widening of the Pūkaki bridge, which is owned by Auckland Airport, but actually was built by Auckland Airport in a joint effort with what was then Manukau City Council,” she said.
“There will be pressure for Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi for additional costs to fix the roads that lead into the airport precinct because of congestion that Auckland Airport has brought to that land mass.”
Auckland Airport asks people to plan ahead
An Auckland Airport spokesperson said its priority is the airport and getting people to and from their flights on time.
“We know opening weekends for shopping centres can be busy, and traffic volumes were considered as part of our planning for the opening of Mānawa Bay.
“We studied mall and major retail openings across Auckland and internationally and the pattern is for a big opening weekend before things settle and normalise.
“That was certainly what we experienced this past weekend but were well prepared for this with a specialist event and traffic management team on site actively managing traffic signals and adjusting flows to ensure travellers to and from the terminals had the quickest journey times.”
Auckland Aiport anticipated busier than usual roads “and worked hard to proactively communicate this ahead of time to airlines, airport workers and travellers”, they said.
It believes traffic will ease in the weeks to come but encouraged people to plan ahead.