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The city of Gisborne is located on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Its airport spans approximately 160 hectares and is made truly unique by its main runway.
The Palmerston North–Gisborne railway line runs directly through the center of the runway, effectively splitting the entire airport into two sections.
If a train is passing through, the flight is put on hold. Conversely, if a flight is ready for takeoff or landing, the train is stopped at a signal. Interestingly, the airport itself controls the train signals to ensure there is no risk of collision or accident.
For the staff at Gisborne Airport, it is a major responsibility to coordinate the timing of flights and trains with great precision. Both the airport and railway remain operational daily from 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM. After that, the runway is closed.
Gisborne Airport may be small, but it operates over 60 domestic flights every week and handles around 150,000 passengers annually. In addition to its main runway, the airport also has three secondary runways.
While airports around the world are racing ahead in terms of technology but Gisborne Airport continues to operate with its traditional setup and maintaining it with safety and seamless coordination even today. (Representative Image: Meta AI)
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