View source for Biology:Rarotonga International Airport

{{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                   = Rarotonga International Airport
| nativename             = {{lang|rar|Papa Rererangi o Rarotonga}}
| image                  = Rarotonga_Airport_from_air1.JPG
| image-width            = 250
| caption                = Rarotonga International Airport from the air
| IATA                   = RAR
| ICAO                   = NCRG
| type                   = Public
| operator               = 
| city-served            = [[Place:Avarua|Avarua]]
| location               = [[Place:Avarua|Avarua]], Rarotonga, Cook Islands
| hub = <div>
* [[Biology:Air Rarotonga|Air Rarotonga]]
</div>
| elevation-f            = 19
| elevation-m            = 6
| coordinates            = {{coord|21|12|10|S|159|48|20|W|type:airport}}
| pushpin_map            = Cook Islands#Oceania
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location of the airport in Cook Islands
| pushpin_label          = '''RAR'''
| pushpin_label_position = top
| metric-rwy             = yes
| r1-number              = 08/26
| r1-length-m            = 2,328
| r1-length-f            = 7,638
| r1-surface             = [[Chemistry:Concrete|Concrete]]
| website                = {{url|www.cookislandsairports.com}}
| footnotes              = '''Sources:''' DoD FLIP<ref>{{Cite book|title=DoD Flight Information Publication (Enroute) – Supplement Pacific, Australasia and Antarctica|publisher=[[Organization:National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency|National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]]|year=2005|location=St. Louis, Missouri|page=B-256}}</ref>
}}

'''Rarotonga International Airport'''  {{airport codes|RAR|NCRG}} ({{lang-rar|Papa Rererangi o Rarotonga}}) is the Cook Islands' main international gateway, located in the town and district of [[Place:Avarua|Avarua]], Rarotonga, {{cvt|3|km}} west of the downtown area on the northern coast. Originally built in 1944, the airport was expanded in the early 1970s, and officially opened for jets in January 1974.

Because of the proximity of the runways to the nearby roads, it is possible to get very close to the aircraft while they are departing and landing. In July 2015, three tourists were injured by jet blast after being blown over while watching an Air New Zealand [[Engineering:Boeing 777|Boeing 777]] take off.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cookislandsnews.com/health/jet-blast-puts-three-in-hospital/ |title=Jet blast puts three in hospital |publisher=Cook Islands News |date=1 July 2015 |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2015 |title=Three hurt by Air New Zealand jet blast in Rarotonga |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/69957620/three-hurt-by-air-new-zealand-jet-blast-in-rarotonga |access-date=10 August 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}</ref> Consequently, in 2016, the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation warned tourist operators that they should not promote the jet blast area as a tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cookislandsnews.com/local/rarotonga-s-jet-blast-thrill-seekers-cautioned/ |title=Rarotonga's jet blast thrill seekers cautioned |author=Rashneel Kumar |publisher=Cook Islands News |date=26 July 2016 |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref>

==History==
An unsealed airstrip at Nikao was originally constructed by the New Zealand Department of Public Works in 1944,<ref name=Kloosterman>{{cite book |title=Discoverers of the Cook Islands and the Names They Gave|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-KloDisc-t1-body-d13.html |date=1976 |author=Alphons M.J. Kloosterman |pages=48–49}}</ref> with the first flight landing in November 1945.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-315158041/view?sectionId=nla.obj-329360225 |title=Isolation is Now No More First Plane on Rarotongan Soil |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=XV |issue=6 |date=19 January 1945 |page=22 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The New Zealand National Airways Corporation operated fortnightly flights to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Aitutaki from 1945 to 1952, and Polynesian Airways operated flights to [[Place:Apia|Apia]] from 1963 to 1966.<ref name=Kloosterman/> In 1964 the airstrip was extended from 5,000 to 6,000 feet, and [[Biology:Tasman Empire Airways Limited|TEAL]] proposed sealing the runway to allow for jet aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331394420/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336427032 |title=JET AIRPORT AT RAROTONGA MAY BE TEAL's ANSWER |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=35 |issue=3 |date=1 March 1964 |page=67 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The issue was forced in 1966, when increased regulation of international flights requiring the use of larger aircraft threatened to cut off air travel entirely.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331482465/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336497562 |title=COOK ISLANDS MAY LOSE AIR SERVICE SOON |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=37 |issue=2 |date=1 February 1966 |page=123 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Local land-owners agreed to expansion,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331550859/view?sectionId=nla.obj-337290418 |title=GREEN LIGHT FOR AIRPORT PLAN AT RAROTONGA |author=W. H. Perceval |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=37 |issue=5 |date=1 May 1966 |page=133 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and the New Zealand government agreed to provide funding<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-327092031/view?sectionId=nla.obj-335737841 |title='Momentous'airport decision will launch Cooks on international travel scene |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=39 |issue=5 |date=1 May 1968 |page=37 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> in exchange for control of airspace rights.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-327780190/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336013692 |title=Rarotonga airport: much to be done before work begins |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=40 |issue=3 |date=1 March 1969 |page=31 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107086916 |title=In aviation's doghouse |work=The Canberra Times |date=4 April 1969 |page=2 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Construction began in June 1970,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-331568707/view?sectionId=nla.obj-336616997 |title=Everything hinges on the new jetstrip in the Cooks |author=W. H. Perceval |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=41 |issue=8 |date=1 August 1970 |page=27 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and completed in 1973. The first jet flight, an Air New Zealand [[Engineering:Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8]], landed in December 1973.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333237665/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338791017 |title=The Cooks are in the jet age |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=45 |issue=1 |date=1 January 1974 |page=77 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The international airport was officially opened on 28 January 1974.<ref name=Kloosterman/>

The Cook Islands government took control of landing rights in 1985.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-335198078/view?sectionId=nla.obj-340048006 |title=Cook Is. go aviating |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |author=Roy Vaughan |volume=56 |issue=11 |date=1 November 1985 |page=37 |access-date=24 July 2021 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
 
In 2003, the terminal and departure and check-in areas were revamped at a cost of US$650,000.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.cook-islands.gov.ck/view_release.php?release_id=262 |title=Revamp for airport check-in area |publisher=Cook Islands Government |date=9 August 2003 |accessdate=15 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206221151/http://www.cook-islands.gov.ck/view_release.php?release_id=262 |archivedate=6 February 2012 }}</ref> An $8.5 million reconstruction project commenced in 2009 to revamp and expand the existing terminal facilities. The new-look terminal was officially opened on 22 June 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cookislandsnews.com/national/new-8-5m-airport-terminals-opened/ |title=New $8.5m airport terminals opened |work=Cook Islands News |date=22 June 2010 |accessdate=24 July 2021}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==
<!-- Please use independent sources, not the airport or airline as they are not independent. -->
{{Airport-dest-list
<!-- -->
|{{nowrap|Air New Zealand}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discovercookislands.com/getting-here/ | title=How to get to the Cook Islands, Cook Islands Travel Guide }}</ref> | Auckland
<!-- -->
|[[Biology:Air Rarotonga|Air Rarotonga]] | Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Manihiki, Mauke, Mitiaro, Papeete
<!-- -->
| Air Tahiti | Papeete
<!-- -->
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu
<!-- -->
| [[Biology:Jetstar|Jetstar]] | Auckland, Sydney<ref>{{cite news |title=Jetstar takes over Sydney direct service |url=https://www.cookislandsnews.com/uncategorised/internal/national/travel/jetstar-takes-over-sydney-direct-service/ |access-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>
}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Planes at Rarotonga Airport.JPG|[[Biology:Air Rarotonga|Air Rarotonga]] [[Engineering:Saab 340|Saab 340]] and Embraer Bandeirante
File:Air New Zealand 777.JPG|Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200ER at Rarotonga
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Raro airport from air.JPG|Another outbound view of Rarotonga Airport and the island's mountainous interior
File:Air New Zealand at Rarotonga Int Airport.JPG|An Air New Zealand Boeing 767-300ER airliner at Rarotonga International Airport
File:Air Rarotonga Saab.JPG|[[Biology:Air Rarotonga|Air Rarotonga]] [[Engineering:Saab 340|Saab 340]] inter-island airliner at the airport
File:Air New Zealand Airbus A320.JPG|Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200 awaiting passengers at Rarotonga International
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==


[[Category:Avarua]]

{{Sourceattribution|Rarotonga International Airport}}