It is located adjacent to the village of Momona on the Taieri Plains approximately 22 kilometres south west of Dunedin CBD.

Mainland Air, a flight school and charter service, operates from a hangar next to the terminal building.

The old Taieri airfield was not economic to expand to cater for the growth in air travel expected in the future.

Construction of the present airport was completed in 1962, and its primary use was to cater for passengers of short haul aircraft.

The airport was the scene of a hostage crisis on 19 December 1979 when two borstal escapees held a police officer in the control tower.

Ansett New Zealand began Boeing 737 (later replaced by BAe 146 aircraft) in December 1988 with airline lounges and airbridges being added in 1988.

Kiwi Travel International Airlines started regular transtasman flights in August 1995 followed by Freedom Air in December of the same year.

[11] A Lounge is available for Club members and Air NZ Gold/Gold Elite and Star Alliance Gold Frequent Flyers.

The extension would accommodate larger aircraft, on longer haul routes from as far afield as the United States and Southeast Asia.

It also stressed that this extension would take place when needed and not simply as a project just for the sake of a longer runway.