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Auckland Airport is rolling out more self-service check-in counters and bag drops, with a temporary check-in pavilion also opening this week.
The new “Zone T” area will provide extra capacity during peak periods as ongoing construction proceeds to unify domestic and international flights in a single terminal, which will reduce available floor space in check-in areas.
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“Construction of the new domestic jet terminal is well advanced, and people can already see how much of the structure is in place,” said Chloe Surridge, Auckland Airport’s chief operations officer.
“Construction is now heading indoors to upgrading core spaces like check-in while keeping the airport operating. It’s one of the most complex parts of the project and will mean changes for travellers, including different ways of moving through the terminal alongside new layouts and hoardings.
“Ultimately, this work is about making check-in faster and more intuitive, while also creating room to handle more people at busy times.
“Moving to self-service kiosks and bag drops gives travellers more control over their journey and reflects what people now expect at major airports around the world.”
As of the end of March, the current Zone C, used by up to eight flights per day, will be out of commission for five months to install more self-service kiosks and automatic bag drops, replacing 22 traditional check-in counters.
Passengers will use either the existing 38 desks in Zone E, which the airport says has already been converted to self-service, or the new temporary Zone T pavilion.
“Over our busy summer months, around 16,000 people – roughly the population of Whakatāne – check in internationally at AKL every day,” Surridge said.
“We’ll be carefully staging construction, but as we convert the check-in a zone at a time, it temporarily reduces the available space, which is where Zone T comes into play.
“It also helps the airport manage growth ahead of the new integrated terminal opening later this decade.”
Auckland last year revealed what it called the “most significant transformation of the departure hall since the 1970s”, with around 60 existing check-in desks to be replaced with self-service kiosks by the end of the decade.
The check-in hall will be shared by domestic and international passengers once the airport’s terminal integration project is complete.
The airport says its NZ$3.9 billion terminal overhaul program will link the international and new domestic terminals, adding more capacity and simpler connections.
When completed in 2028–29, the integrated terminal will replace the old domestic terminal, much of which dates from the 1960s and 70s.
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