Queenstown Airport has opened the doors to ‘The Hub’, the airport’s first dedicated operations centre, marking a new era in the organisation’s growth.
The modular-style building, named The Hub via an airport staff competition, houses a new dedicated Operations Centre, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Operations Control room, training room, offices and houses all the Queenstown Airport Operations team in one fit for purpose office.
The Hub has been designed to accommodate the airport’s continued growth and is an adaptable, sustainable and affordable building solution in line with the company’s guiding principles. The movement of essential operations services into The Hub will also free up much-needed space in-terminal for use by border agencies, who are also expanding as part of the airport’s continued growth.
The new building is accessed via the rental car park landside with secure access on the airside frontage. The landside location ensures easy access for non-security cleared personnel to the EOC should this be activated and will also now be the check-in point for all contractors and suppliers working at the airport.
GM Operations and Safety Mike Clay said: “As Queenstown Airport continues to grow, the airport Operations team has adapted and expanded to accommodate growth within the current footprint.”
“Currently the Operations team have operated from five different office locations across the terminal, including the Info Desk which acts as a control room and administration point. The time has come for a dedicated location to better house the team and associated operational services and facilities”.
Careful consideration has been given to the design of the exterior paneling to ensure each module can be repurposed if and when needed without affecting the overall appearance. The interior has been designed fit-for-purpose, ensuring the team has the best vantage points to monitor activity. The airport team has been integral to the design of the facility, contributing extensively to its functionality and layout.
“The Hub will be the nerve centre of the airport’s operations function,” said Mr Clay.
The Operations Centre provides the following under a single roof:
- A dedicated Operations Control Room
- A dedicated EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) with landside access for use during an emergency
- Office accommodation for the entire Operations team (up to 20 people)
- Office accommodation for project development and delivery teams including Master Plan team
- Administration facility for staff and contractor inductions, training, issuing of Permits to work, CCTV surveillance, access cards, topping up commercial users’ swipe cards.
The centre also has additional facilities for use by all QAC staff including:
- Training room with PCs for online and one-to-one training including five hot desks
- Lunch room with full kitchen facilities
- Showers and storage for use by all QAC staff
- Meetings rooms and a boardroom with full AV – for up to 12 people
