Operational
Airport Profile · NZ

Christchurch International Airport

CHC NZCH
Christchurch, NZ Pacific/Auckland Multi-airline hub
6.3M
Annual passengers
29+
Destinations
14
Airlines
3
Runways
Where CHC ranks
Among 534 international airports — and 23 in Oceania
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Passengers
# 304 worldwide
# 10 Oceania
Direct routes
# 405 worldwide
# 13 Oceania
Airlines
# 407 worldwide
# 12 Oceania
Runways
# 56 worldwide
# 2 Oceania
Terminals
# 309 worldwide
# 15 Oceania
Area
# 167 worldwide
# 9 Oceania
Elevation
# 300 worldwide
# 5 Oceania
Christchurch International Airport (CHC) is the second-busiest airport in New Zealand and the primary aviation gateway to the South Island. Located in Harewood 12 km (7 mi) north-west of central Christchurch at 123 ft (37 m) elevation on the Canterbury Plains, the airport operates three runways: the main 02/20 at 10,787 ft (3,288 m) of asphalt for all commercial traffic, a 5,587-ft (1,703-m) bitumen crosswind strip 11/29, and a 1,690-ft (515-m) grass strip 01/19 for light aircraft. The long main runway is sized to handle fully loaded Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 operations, including twice-daily Christchurch-Singapore services on Singapore Airlines. CHC serves 44 routes to 29 destinations on 14 airlines (2026), with home operators Air New Zealand and Jetstar anchoring domestic flights to Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and regional points plus Tasman Sea services. International carriers include Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Emirates (via Sydney), Cathay Pacific (seasonal), Fiji Airways, Jetstar Asia, China Southern and China Airlines. Crucially, CHC is a critical gateway for Antarctic operations: the United States Antarctic Program, New Zealand's Scott Base, the Italian PNRA and South Korea's KOPRI all base their McMurdo and Terra Nova Bay flight operations at CHC, with RNZAF Boeing 757 and USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster III flights departing throughout the austral summer. The current integrated terminal opened in phases between 2009 and 2013 after the previous facility was damaged in the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. Owned by Christchurch City Council (75%) and the New Zealand Government (25%), CHC is one of the few major airports worldwide that has commissioned a second greenfield airport - Tarras in Central Otago - as a long-term capacity hedge for the upper South Island. Pre-pandemic traffic approached 7 million passengers per year, making CHC the fifth-busiest airport in Australasia. Cargo operations are substantial, with regular freighter departures for chilled lamb, salmon, dairy, cherries and cut flowers bound for Asian and North American markets.

Global route network

Every direct destination, colour-coded by distance

Most popular route
CHC → AKL
537 observed departures
Longest route
CHC → SFO
11,236 km
Countries reached
6
Via direct passenger flights

Where can I fly from here?

Top direct destinations, sorted by daily frequency

AKL short
Auckland
NZ
537 /day 3 airlines
WLG short
Wellington
NZ
355 /day 2 airlines
SYD medium
Sydney
AU
194 /day 3 airlines
MEL medium
Melbourne
AU
139 /day 3 airlines
IVC short
Invercargill
NZ
135 /day 1 airlines
NSN short
Nelson
NZ
119 /day 1 airlines
DUD short
Mosgiel
NZ
111 /day 1 airlines
BNE medium
Brisbane
AU
110 /day 2 airlines
ZQN short
Queenstown
NZ
100 /day 2 airlines
PMR short
Palmerston North
NZ
78 /day 2 airlines
HLZ short
Hamilton
NZ
74 /day 2 airlines
NPE short
Napier
NZ
65 /day 1 airlines

Track new routes from CHC

Get notified when airlines add new destinations, resume seasonal services, or launch direct flights from Christchurch International Airport. Flight tracking, alerts, and full route history live on AirportRoutes.com.

Airport data

Authoritative facts sourced from the airport authority

Elevation
123 ft (37 m)
Above sea level
Runways
3 · 10,787 ft max
3 runways, ASP
Passengers
6.3M/yr
Reported 2024
Airlines
14 carriers
NZ · JQ · QF
Hub status
Mega-hub
Multi-airline hub
Area
1,853 acres (750 ha)
Total airport area

Beyond the major hubs

CHC also serves 17 regional airports across 2 countries — secondary cities, islands, and niche destinations not ranked on BigAirports.

17
Regional airports
2
Countries served
7
Airlines operating
894
Observed flights
AirportRoutes.com

Explore every route from CHC with live tracking

AirportRoutes tracks all 46+ routes — majors and regionals alike — with flight-level activity, airline filters, and daily updates.

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Getting to the airport

Ground transport options from Christchurch

Public transportation

Metro public bus routes 3 (Airport-Sumner) and 29 (Airport-City) link CHC to central Christchurch with stops at the northern end of the terminal outside International Arrivals. A one-way fare is 2 NZD with a Metrocard or 4 NZD cash, running every 15-30 minutes from around 06:00 to 22:30. Journey to Cathedral Square takes 30-40 minutes.

Taxis & rideshare

Official taxi ranks sit directly outside International Arrivals with Blue Star Taxis, Gold Band and First Direct operating 24/7. Metered fares to the central city run 45-60 NZD in 20-25 minutes. Rideshare operators Uber, Ola and Zoomy have a marked pickup zone a short walk from the terminal exits and are typically 15-20% cheaper.

Rental cars

Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty, Apex and a dozen campervan specialists including Maui, Britz and Jucy operate from the airport. Counters are inside International Arrivals with vehicles collected from the lot directly opposite the terminal. CHC is the primary campervan hire airport for the South Island; one-way drops to Queenstown are common. NZ drives on the left and a home licence is accepted for up to 12 months.

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