Rarotonga International Airport
Rarotonga International Airport Papa Rererangi o Rarotonga | |||||||||||
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Rarotonga International Airport from the air | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Serves | Avarua | ||||||||||
| Location | Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 19 ft / 6 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 21°12′10″S 159°48′20″W / 21.20278°S 159.80556°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Sources: DoD FLIP | |||||||||||
Rarotonga International Airport (IATA: RAR, ICAO: NCRG) (Cook Islands Māori: Papa Rererangi o Rarotonga) is the Cook Islands' main international gateway, located in the town and district of Avarua, Rarotonga, 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the downtown area on the northern coast. Originally built in 1944, the airport was expanded in the early 1970s, and officially opened for jets in January 1974.
Because of the proximity of the runways to the nearby roads, it is possible to get very close to the aircraft while they are departing and landing. In July 2015, three tourists were injured by jet blast after being blown over while watching an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 take off. Consequently, in 2016, the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation warned tourist operators that they should not promote the jet blast area as a tourist attraction.