Marlborough Airport has, alongside Wellington Airport, won the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award for their joint bid to host New Zealand’s first all-electric aircraft with Air New Zealand.

The win came at the annual NZ Airports Hui in Hamilton, a conference recognising excellence in achievements for airports and supporting industries.

Bidding for this trial attracted strong interest from most airports across New Zealand. Both Wellington and Marlborough airports share Air New Zealand’s ambition to accelerate the change needed to decarbonise aviation, while keeping New Zealanders connected.

This trial route is the first major step in lowering emissions for domestic aviation to help meet New Zealand’s international targets.

“Decarbonising domestic aviation is going to take everyone working together,” Dean Heiford, Chief Executive of Marlborough Airport said. “We look forward to the learnings and opportunities for this trial route and have already started to share this knowledge with other airports.”

Wellington Airport will be the home base of Air New Zealand’s first next-generation aircraft, BETA's ALIA CTOL, while Marlborough Airport will also establish charging infrastructure to power the aircraft for the return journey.

From 2026, this route will initially operate as a cargo-only service between the North and South Islands for New Zealand Post.

At the conference Operations and Safety Manager Steve Holtum took part in a panel discussion about preparations underway to host the aircraft in Marlborough.

Steve is leading the health and safety aspects of the trial, including working with the fire service to identify risks with electric aircraft and charging stations and with Wellington to develop emergency responses involving electric aircraft.

This year, the airport is investing in infrastructure upgrades needed for the electric aircraft trial alongside local partners such as Marlborough Lines. Other sustainability initiatives underway include waste reduction from terminal operations, an investigation of a solar farm and plans for expanding greenspace near the terminal.