Hangars and accommodation units are being built at the airport and Nigel and Wendy Forrester are the first people to live there.
An open day, hosted by the Central Otago Flying Club, will be held at the airport from 9am to noon next Saturday.
Mr Forrester, a pilot and entrepreneur, said locals might be surprised by the scale of the development at the facility.
''If they haven't been up there for a while, I think people will be surprised by how it's grown. There used to be two planes based there and now there's more than 20 aircraft, including three biplanes, gyrocopters and helicopters,'' he said.
''We thought it would be a good chance to get people along for a look, and they can walk around the planes and talk to the owners. We've timed it so they can visit and then be back in town in time for the Blossom Festival parade, if they want.''
One of the planes on display will be a Fokker D VII owned by Mike Kindon, of Alexandra. He built the 80% scale replica of the World War 1 German fighter plane when he lived in Christchurch, before shifting to Alexandra.
''I've just had a very long fascination with that period in aviation history, World War 1 planes, and thought I'd like to own one of my own, so I built one.
''It took me about four years, but a couple of earthquakes got in the way of building.''
He had only spent about 10 hours flying the plane so far, he said.
''I really like building them. I do fly them, but not as much as I should.''
Mr Kindon has built other planes, but sells the completed craft to finance his next construction project. The basic material cost was reasonable, but it was best not to try to estimate the labour cost of building, he said.
At its meeting on Wednesday , the Central Otago District Council will consider setting up an Airport Reference Group to provide guidance on the Alexandra airport development and the development of the other council managed airstrips - grassed airstrips at Roxburgh and Cromwell.
Council property and facilities manager Mike Kerr said there was increasing interest in leasing land at the Alexandra airport for hangars and other uses.
It was important to encourage such ventures to provide an income to assist with runway renewal and infrastructure development at the airport.
The group could include representatives from commercial aviation users, non commercial users, the flying club, the council and someone with business expertise, he said.
As the airport was a strategic asset and ''one that may have a significant role to play in future development of the district'', it was suggested that any decisions about the facility be made by the council rather than a separate committee.
The group would have specific aviation knowledge and experience and would add value to the council's decision making, Mr Kerr said.
• Open day, Alexandra Airport, 9am noon, September 26.
