At midnight on February 10, Auckland Airport’s standby runway was reverted back to taxiway status as part of a technical change which has been in planning since October 2009.
“In reverting to a taxiway, modifications have been made to the runway markings that will simplify the airport information documents needed by pilots,” said chief operating officer Tony Gollin. “While the taxiway can always be changed back for use as a standby runway if circumstances dictate, we are pleased to make this change now in order to help make the jobs of pilots and air traffic controllers at Auckland easier.”
The taxiway had been upgraded to standby runway status in 2001 to ensure appropriate cover during runway maintenance.