Wellington Airport names Steve Sanderson as new chief executive

Monday 17th October 2011

Wellington International Airport, which is controlled by listed utility investor Infratil, has tapped Steve Sanderson as its new chief executive starting next year, a role he currently holds at Queenstown Airport.

Sanderson will replace John Howarth, who has been acting CEO since Steve Fitzgerald left the airport to take up a role with Infratil’s manager, HRL Morrison & Co in Sydney, the company said in a statement.

Sanderson, a director of Pioneer Generation, has a background in infrastructure, having been general manager at Powerco and Lyttelton Port, and CEO at Dynamic Controls, a designer and manufacturer of wheelchair controls, the airport said.

Sanderson steps into the role as the airport faces criticism from airlines over a proposed $5.6 million-a-year increase in landing fees, amounting to 70 cents per passenger, or 0.5% of the average airfare.

The Commerce Commission is to review the effectiveness of its price-setting guidelines next year, but in the mean-time it will not comment on whether the proposed price increase is appropriate, spokeswoman Alannah Kalafatelis said.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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