Wellington Airport's air traffic control tower is thought to be the only one in the world built on a residential street - it even has it's own letter box.

After nearly 60 years controlling the capital's skies, Wellington Airport's suburban control tower is due to wave on its final flight.

Built on Kilbirnie's Tirangi Rd in 1958, it was thought to be the only control tower in the world situated on a residential street - it even has its own letter box.

'The Grand Old Lady of Wellington' will be replaced by a new control tower in Lyall Bay, which will officially be opened on Thursday.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF John Farron, team leader at the soon to be decomissioned Wellington Airport control tower, keeps his eyes on the skies.

Known as "The Grand Old Lady of Wellington" to Airways New Zealand staff, the tower took over duties as the region's main flight hub from Paraparaumu Airport in 1959.

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Airways air traffic services general manager Tim Boyle said its "unique" location among the houses in the hills on the western side of the airport gave it a perfect view over the runway.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Wellington Airport's new control tower at Lyall Bay will replace the old tower on Thursday.

However, the premises had reached the end of its useful life.

The tower had served Wellington well over the last six decades, surviving major storms and keeping travellers and flight crew safe in the capital's notorious winds. It was estimated the staff at the tower had watched over 7 million flights during its tenure.

He said there were a number of Airways staff who had spent their entire careers in the tower and there would be plenty of people who would be sad to see it wound down.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF Wellington Airport's decommissioned control tower is situated between houses on Tirangi Rd, Kilbirnie.

The new tower at Lyall Bay is also located outside the main airport boundary, near a retail area carpark which is owned by the airport.

Boyle said the Lyall Bay tower was a leap forward in design from the old tower: "It's likely one of the most resilient buildings in the country."

The new tower had base isolators to limit earthquake damage and was designed to withstand a one-in-2000-year tsunami.

Airways did not have a confirmed date for the old tower's decommissioning, but Boyle said it would eventually be sold.

He thought the building would make a "pretty good house" for aviation enthusiasts.

Architect Roger Walker agreed and said the prospect of it becoming a residential property was intriguing. The "character building" was a landmark, and it's 360-degree views and height would make it unique.

"If you wanted to build anything new [on that site] you could only build to a height of 8 metres - any higher and you'd have to go through a resource consent procedure."

Walker said it "would be the tallest house" in Wellington's Outer Residential Area.