INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TO BENEFIT FROM PLANNED AIRPORT RUNWAY EXTENSION
15 September 2014
International students are set to benefit from the planned runway extension proposed for Wellington Airport.
“The extension proposed for the southern end of the runway would open up the possibility of direct flights from Los
Angles, Dubai as well as Asia. This is particularly pleasing for the education sector in Wellington,” said Don Campbell,
Chief Executive, Whitireia New Zealand.
“The vast majority of our international students are from destinations at least two plane journeys away. The key benefit
of a runway extension for international students is that Wellington would become a one flight destination. This would
make Wellington more accessible to the rest of the world benefitting not only international students wanting to study at
our world-class campuses, but also new students considering their future options,” said Don Campbell.
“Difficulty of access (i.e. international visitors and prospective students needing to stop twice on their flights to
Wellington) has been cited in surveys as the number one reason why international students do not prefer Wellington as a
study destination,” said Linda Sissons, Chief Executive, Wellington Institute of Technology. “This does need to be
addressed if Wellington is to attract more international students.”
“We're working closely with Victoria and Massey universities and secondary school leaders to significantly lift
international student numbers coming to Wellington. For every 50 students the direct economic impact is around $1M with
downstream benefit of $5M. The proposed runway will provide a massive boost for education and for the entire Wellington
region,” said Don Campbell.
ENDS