Pilots are now on board with Air New Zealand's night flight plans for Queenstown Airport.
New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association technical officer David Reynolds says there has been a "sea change'' in the airline's willingness to consult the union on its operator safety case for after-dark operations.
One of its members, an Air New Zealand captain, joined the airline's working group preparing the operator safety case before Christmas.
"Our feedback and input is being taken very seriously and forming part of the procedures,'' Mr Reynolds said.
The airline announced on Wednesday it would begin night flights into the resort on July 1.
The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed yesterday it had received the airline's application for night flights, including the safety case.
Mr Reynolds told the Otago Daily Times in November the association had not been consulted on the safety case, and was unhappy with the safeguards in place.
The resulting media attention had been a "catalyst'' for the airline to begin working collaboratively with the union, particularly on its concerns about procedures for landing and departing through the resort's mountainous terrain and the quality of weather data.
"We're working very closely with them, and we're very pleased about that because clearly it's in everyone's interest that we do so.''
Air New Zealand's night flights go on sale next week, but are still subject to approval from the CAA.
CAA corporate communications manager Mike Richards said it was assessing the airline's application and working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia (Casa) to "ensure common performance criteria is applied to all air transport operators proposing to conduct night operations at Queenstown''.
The CAA and Casa approved in principle Queenstown Airport's safety case for night flights in mid-2014.
An $18 million runway and lighting upgrade is under way and due to be completed in April.
A spokesman for budget airline Jetstar, Phil Boeyen, said it was "interested'' in operating evening flights into Queenstown this winter.
"We've scoped the operational requirements and how it would fit into our schedule, but we haven't made any final decision at this stage.''
A decision would come "sooner rather than later'', Mr Boeyen said.
Qantas corporate communication senior manager Stephen Moynihan said the airline had no immediate plans to operate transtasman night flights into the resort, but was "comfortable from a safety perspective''.
The other transtasman carrier to Queenstown, Virgin Australia, could not be reached for comment.
