General aviation operators based at Queenstown Airport are being pushed aside to clear airspace for larger aircraft, Queenstown-Milford User Group chairman Hank Sproull says.
The Air Milford owner and chief pilot says the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reclassification of the airport's controlled airspace from Class D to Class C, set to come into effect on November 10, will have a big impact on the general aviation community.
A meeting of operators with CAA representatives in the resort on Monday had finalised details of the reclassification.
Mr Sproull said it was being driven by the growing number of large airliners flying into the resort.
The CAA was creating an airspace "bubble'' for large aircraft and "pushing us out of the road''.
Greater height and distance separation requirements between aircraft meant general aviation operators would have to change their flight paths and operate at lower altitudes on their approach to the airport.
That could lead to costly delays as their aircraft were placed in holding patterns while waiting for clearance to land.
Flying at a lower altitude over Lake Wakatipu on the approach also had safety implications.
"The lower you are coming across the lake, if you have any problems, you're in the water.
"The higher up you are, the more chance you've got of getting to the shoreline.
"They've removed that safety factor, and the director of Civil Aviation considers that an acceptable risk for us.''
The CAA's sole focus was to maximise the safety of large airliners, he said.
"If they could, they would ideally like to have no aeroplanes flying around here except jets.''
He had told those attending Monday's meeting it was a "sad day for general aviation in the Queenstown area''.
"We've seen the demise of the aero club, now it's putting pressure on the rest of us to get out of the road of the airliners.''
The CAA was unable to respond to the Otago Daily Times' questions by deadline.
