Mechanics Bay landed in Mechanics Bay, which was the centre of international aviation for New Zealand until the 1950s. Even after the construction of Auckland International Airport at Mangere in the 1960s, Mechanics Bay was still used by flying boats to the Pacific Islands, e.g. for the "Coral Route" to Fiji. From 1962 to 1989, Mechanics Bay was home to first Tourist Air Travel, then Mount Cook Airline then Sea Bee Air operating a fleet of Grumman Goose, Grumman Widgeon and Grumman Turbo Goose amphibian aircraft for regular scheduled passenger and freight services to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf (particularly Great
Hawke's Bay Airport was also named New Zealand Regional Airport of the Year 2013. A new $16 million terminal expansion of Hawke's Bay Airport taking the terminal footprint to 3400sqm started in April 2018 with completion scheduled for 2019. Hawke's Bay Airport is currently in discussion with airline partners which could see A320 jets introduced from 2020 and new routes likely to be direct services to Queenstown initiated. In the financial year ending June 2017, the airport saw record numbers pass through its doors, at 652,426. It remains the 7th busiest airport in New Zealand. A smaller airport is located 22 km to