Air New Zealand has officially opened Hangar 4, a huge new maintenance facility at its Auckland base in Māngere that’s been years in the making.
The 10,000-square-metre hangar is big enough to fit a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner alongside two Airbus A320 or A321 aircraft, with 5,000 square metres of extra space for workshops and engineering gear. At 35 metres high and 98 metres wide, it’s hard to miss on the South Auckland skyline and is already a noticeable landmark for people flying in.
Chief executive Greg Foran said the new hangar will give the airline the space and flexibility it needs to maintain its growing fleet and prepare for future aircraft. He said the project provides modern infrastructure for engineering teams and signals confidence in the airline’s future and its role in connecting New Zealand.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon – who first announced the project when he was Air New Zealand CEO in 2019 – attended the opening. He said the hangar will support skilled jobs and help the airline play its part in tourism and trade.
The building itself is notable for its design. It’s the largest single-span timber arch aircraft hangar in the southern hemisphere and is targeting a 6 Green Star Rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council.
The timber, sourced from Nelson and Wodonga plantations, was chosen for its strength, lighter weight and ability to handle the coastal environment. The roof uses ETFE material, which allows natural light in and keeps heat in without needing a heating system. Large ceiling fans help circulate warm air in winter and provide cooling in summer.
Construction involved prefabricating 38-tonne trusses in 25-metre sections, then lifting them into place with New Zealand’s largest crawler crane – a rare building method for something this size.
The hangar also connects to the existing Hangar 3 via shared workshops and tool stores, designed to make maintenance more efficient.
