Safety has and always will be the primary management objective for Wellington Airport.
The airport has a comprehensive safety management system which is audited by the Civil Aviation Authority on an annual basis. Key elements of this system are as follows:
1: Dedicated Safety Teams:
Thirty six staff (or about 50% of WIAL’s total employees) work in dedicated safety roles. Twenty five of these work in the Airport Fire Service team and a further eleven staff provide the Airside Services Team.
2: Daily Focus on Safety:
The safety teams maintain a daily focus on all activities at the airport.
All incidents and accidents are reported to management and followed up in accordance with OSH guidelines with the objective of isolating, minimising or eliminating hazards or potentially dangerous practices.
All contractors must complete an Airport Safety Induction course before starting work at the airport.
3: Airside Driver Training:
The Airside Services Team runs an airside driver training programme to ensure that all staff driving on the airfield do so safely.
4: Bird Controls:
Under Civil Aviation rules, WIAL must actively work to minimise the threat and incidence of bird strike. A comprehensive Bird Control Programme has been in place since 1996 when WIAL, the Wellington City Council and the Department of Conservation joined forces to address this safety issue.
Under this programme a range of annual activities are carried out to ensure that bird populations (particularly the Black Backed Gulls) are controlled within the environs around the airport.
These activities include egg pricking and egg destruction on the harbour Islands of Somes , Makaro, and Mokopuna.
A revegetation programme on Somes Island aimed at reducing the number of nests from 1000 to 400 has been operating for the past 9 years.
In 1997 there were a total of 24 bird strikes, plus 134 near misses reported by pilots. In 2004 there were a total of 13 bird strikes, plus 51 near misses.
5: Maintaining our Infrastructure:
WIAL’s runway, taxiways, and sea protection walls require constant attention to ensure that they are maintained in a safe operating condition.
The runway was resurfaced in 1998, a project that took five months to complete. The next resurfacing is scheduled to occur in 2008.
WIAL’s runway is grooved to provide improved braking performance for aircraft in wet weather.
6: Runway End Safety Areas (RESA):
Runway End Safety Areas are about to become a required safety enhancement of all NZ airports under Civil Aviation law.
In anticipation of this new safety requirement, WIAL have completed the construction of a 90m long RESA at the Southern end of its runway. Planning for a 90m long RESA at the northern end of the runway is also underway.