‘Game changer’: Flying Wellington to Asia and beyond non-stop is a step closer to reality

Wellingtonians dreaming of flying non-stop to the likes of Singapore and Los Angeles could see their hopes become a reality thanks to a new $500m infrastructure plan. The multi-year investment includes extending the length of the runway, something which has proved highly contentious in the past. But instead of physically building an extension into the sea, it is going to utilise the current area used as safety zones by adding the engineered materials arresting system, or EMAS. Similar to a gravel trap on a motorway, these energy absorbing blocks are designed to crush under the weight of an aircraft, slowing it to a stop. Wellington will be the second airport in Australasia to use the system after Queenstown. The current safety zone is described as a ‘paint on’ solution, which shortens the runway, whereas the EMAS system is counted as part of the runway even though it’s an area pilots will be doing their utmost to avoid.<br/>