Air New Zealand is to write to the Queenstown Lakes District Council with a list of proposals about the future of the Queenstown Airport share-sale deal after "very amicable discussions" in Auckland between the two parties yesterday.
Mayor Clive Geddes and QLDC chief executive Debra Lawson met Air New Zealand deputy chief executive Norm Thompson and a senior adviser.
This followed last Friday's surprise statement by Air NZ that it wanted to head a consortium of airlines to take a cornerstone shareholding in Queenstown Airport.
It was the airline's unexpected response to the controversial July 8 announcement that Auckland International Airport (AIAC) had bought a 24.9% stake in the airport from the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) for $27.7 million.
The secret deal has caused major ructions in Queenstown for more than a fortnight.
Yesterday Mayor Geddes, who was in Auckland for a Local Government Association conference, told the Otago Daily Times the meeting with Air New Zealand had focused on the QLDC's role in the transaction "from this point on".
"It was a very amicable discussion around the QAC-AIAL transaction ... and Air New Zealand are going to write to the [QLDC] chief executive and the matter will be managed from there.
"They've got a list of proposals and opportunities and matters they want to identify with the council," he said.
Air New Zealand Australasia Group general manager Bruce Parton said yesterday Qantas and Jetstar airlines had confirmed they were "having a look" at the proposed consortium.
"They are interested, but no-one's going to be rushed into it," he said.
Mr Parton said comments following Air New Zealand's announcement late Friday had been "supportive".
"[Community members are] not saying they want us to buy in, but [they agree] it's been a poorly managed process and it [the deal] shouldn't be going through".
Meanwhile, Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ann Lockhart said the chamber was collating feedback forms from its members on the QAC-AIAL alliance, which were due in last night.
The chamber sent out a seven-page memorandum with an attached recommendation to its 270 members.
The memorandum raised several issues and provided chamber comment.
The recommendation was for QLDC and QAC to take no further action to increase AIAL's shareholding, provide a position on the board to AIAL or enter into any shareholder agreement with AIAL; and for the QLDC to investigate whether there had been a breach of the QAC's responsibilities under its Statement of Intent.
Mrs Lockhart said the forms would be analysed today, but the majority appeared to support the recommend- ations.
No decision had yet been made on a proposed public meeting.
QAC chairman Mark Taylor could not be reached for comment yesterday.
