It’s official. More than five years after it was proposed, and more than 18 months after construction kicked off, Air New Zealand’s Hangar 4—the world’s largest aircraft hangar built from mass timber—is ready to take full flight. Today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who first announced the project in 2019 during the pre-COVID era while serving as the airline’s CEO, opened the Southern Hemisphere’s largest single-span timber-arch structure.
Spanning 98 metres, soaring 35 metres high and covering 10,000 square metres, the Auckland-based Hangar 4 can accommodate a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner alongside two Airbus A320 or A321 narrow-body jets simultaneously. Last month, Wood Central exclusively revealed that an 80-metre-wide hangar door, engineered by Champion Door Oy and installed by PENSA DOORS NZ, marked the final step before aircraft could begin rolling in.
Today, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran, who is departing the role next month, stated that Hangar 4 ensures the airline can maintain its current fleet and adapt to the future. “This investment ensures we have fit-for-purpose, modern infrastructure for our engineers to service our fleet,” he said, adding that the facility includes 5,000 square metres of specialist workshops and engineering spaces designed for hydrogen- or electric-powered aircraft.
Wood Central understands that mass timber was chosen not just for its eco-credentials but also for its earthquake resilience. Nelson Pine laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and Xlam cross-laminated timber (CLT) arches were prefabricated in 25-metre sections at a local plant. “They were assembled on site and lifted into place using New Zealand’s largest crawler crane,” the airline explained. Each 38-tonne truss was hoisted upright at an 85-degree angle, then locked with hundreds of 250-millimetre screws.
“Underground service pits eliminate the need for surface cabling, offering both flexibility and efficiency for maintenance teams,” the airline added, noting that “the structure connects with the adjacent Hangar 3 via shared workshops and tool stores, boosting efficiency across maintenance programmes.” A covered corridor links the two hangars, streamlining workflow and technician access.
Above the timber arches, an ETFE roof floods the hangar with natural light and retains heat without the need for a heating system, thereby cutting energy costs. Constructed from 1,200 cubic metres of engineered wood, the seismic-resilient arch can flex up to 300 millimetres under earthquake loads, absorbing shock rather than resisting it.
According to Jimmy Corric, NZ Strong project manager responsible for the build: “Timber and geometry do what they do best. It can wobble about in the breeze—it’s a seismic structure,” according to Corric, who will next month join with Patrick Thompson (Studio Pacific Architecture), engineer Chris Speed (Dunning Thornton) and fabricator Daniel Jones (Xlam) to discuss the project at Timber Construct. “You either make these really rigid structures that constrain everything, or you have structures that move a little bit and allow things to give.” He added, “The span is believed to be larger than the wooden hangar in Tillamook, Oregon.”
Prime Minister Luxon hailed Hangar 4 as a game-changer for New Zealand’s aviation sector. “Infrastructure like this is critical for New Zealand and Air New Zealand’s future. It supports highly skilled jobs and is future-fit for innovation and growth,” he said. Designed by Studio Pacific Architecture, Hangar 4 is the first aircraft hangar in the Asia-Pacific to achieve a Green Star 6-Star rating. Its ten-storey-tall, column-free interior provides engineers with a blank canvas—and the question at the top of mind: “What does maintenance look like in 50 or 60 years?”
Please note: Timber Construct will be in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 14 at the Rydges Melbourne. For more information about the latest program, updated yesterday, click here.
