A pat on the back

The Rugby World Cup was a success not only for the country and for the All Blacks, but also for all those who worked hard at Auckland Airport to ensure everything went smoothly.

Auckland Airport Chief Executive Simon Moutter says the list of people to thank is enormous: the border agencies, the airlines, the retailers, the food & beverage suppliers, the Police, the ground handlers, the cleaners, taxi drivers, RWC 2011 and Auckland Council, the volunteers and of course the passengers themselves.

“While the airport dealt with huge numbers of people on some days, nobody ‘dropped the ball’,” Simon says. “I’m proud of everyone involved. It was great to see the years of careful planning pay off.”

Interesting facts:

• On October 15, Auckland Airport agencies and airlines processed 13,000 arriving international passengers in a single day. Ninety-five per cent of these passengers were processed in under 31 minutes, with an average of 15 minutes.
• On October 23 there were 21 corporate jets parked on the airfield.
• On October 24, the day after the final, Auckland Airport agencies and airlines processed 15,000 departing international passengers in a single day. Ninety-five per cent of those passengers were processed across the border in under eight minutes. In fact the average was just under four minutes.
• The airport managed nearly 880,000 international arrivals or departures during the event.