[6][7][8] Christchurch and Auckland are the only airports in New Zealand that regularly handle Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 aircraft.

[10] To serve an increasing number of passengers, the airport has completed construction of a major terminal upgrade.

The first scheduled Boeing 747 service to land in New Zealand arrived on 3 December 1972, a Qantas flight from Sydney.

[16] Extensions to the domestic terminal were completed in September 1975 with a new two level pier added, more than doubling the total floor area.

[17] In October that year, Air New Zealand began a weekly DC-8 service linking Christchurch to Nadi, Rarotonga and Papeete.

[19] The extension was officially opened on 6 July 1984 by prime minister Rob Muldoon, bringing the runway to its present length of 3,288 m (10,787 ft).

[20] In February 1985, Newmans Air started scheduled de Havilland Canada Dash 7 services on the tourist routes.

In July 1987, Ansett New Zealand started flying on domestic trunk routes using Boeing 737 aircraft.

Although dropped years later, the Perth route was restored on a seasonal basis in 2013 with the same aircraft until 2016, when it was upgauged to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Korean Airlines commenced flying to Christchurch in July 1994 using MD-11 aircraft, this was a weekly service from Seoul.

In September 1998, the new international terminal building was completed, creating an additional 28,000 square metres (301,000 sq ft) of floor space.

Pacific Blue Airlines commenced trans-Tasman flights from Christchurch (its New Zealand base) in January 2004.

Christchurch Airport underwent an extensive expansion project, beginning in March 2006 when construction commenced on a new multi-storey $13 million car park building which opened early in 2007.

Once it was complete, part of the existing car park area was closed to allow for the extra space required for the expanded footprint of a new terminal building.

A new 45 m (148 ft) tall control tower, positioned close to the new car park building, opened in September 2009.

A separate $20 million regional lounge was constructed in 2010 in a joint venture by Air New Zealand and CIAL.

[28][29] In April 2011, Air Asia X commenced Airbus A330 services to Kuala Lumpur; these were short lived, ending in May 2012.

China Airlines operated seasonal flights from Taipei via Sydney with Airbus A330 aircraft from December 2014 to 2018.

[30] An unusual irregular visitor is Uzbekistan Airways, which operates Boeing 767 charters from Tashkent via Kuala Lumpur carrying Russian fishing crews.

[33] Starting in June 2024, the food court of the airport underwent a major renovation, replacing some older restaurants with new ones, and updating the aesthetic.

[35] The preferred option by the airport company for increasing the capacity of the existing runways is by introducing independent operations.

This would increase the runway length to 1,981 metres (6,499 ft) and is estimated to cost $12 million, as presently some Tasman and Pacific Island flights are unable to take off fully loaded in nor'west wind conditions.

A major feature of the terminal is a $15 million state-of-the-art baggage handling system, which is 750 metres (2,460 ft) long.

The regional wing is located in the south-west of the terminal, and handles all Air New Zealand Link turboprop flights.

[citation needed] As of December 2023, Christchurch airport is served by 11 airlines with scheduled services.

In July 2013, a Boeing 747SP modified as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) airborne telescope landed at the airport.

It operates a medivac service using fixed-wing aircraft (NZ Flying Doctor Service), charter flights and also operates the rescue helicopter in Canterbury with a secondary helipad in Hagley Park adjacent to Christchurch Hospital (ICAO: NZJC).

[87] The Christchurch Engine Centre, established in 1953, is located at the airport and is now a joint facility run by Pratt & Whitney and Air New Zealand.

A drop off and pick up area called 'The Loop' is situated on the ground floor of the multi-level car park building.

With service starting September 04th, this bus travels between the Airport and the Port town of Lyttelton via the CBD.