The Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) declined to take part in mediation over its moves to provide a runway end safety area (resa) because it did not want to interfere with its application for a priority Environment Court fixture.
QAC counsel Amanda Dewar told Judge Jon Jackson this week the airport was already involved in ongoing discussions with appellant Shotover Park Ltd (SPL), and sister company Remarkables Park Ltd, on several matters, including the proposed engineered gravel fill for the resa.
QAC was also in continuing talks with Air New Zealand.
Counsels for the appellants said they would welcome mediation. QAC lodged the priority fixture application in late November.
Judge Jackson recommended airport representatives speak with the other appellant, Quail Rise Estate Ltd, during the pre-hearing conference at the Queenstown District Court earlier this week.
Ms Dewar said a discussion would be held to narrow the wide scope of the estate's appeal.
Queenstown Lakes District Council supported its wholly owned subsidiary in its application for a priority fixture.
Counsels for the appellants, SPL, Air New Zealand, Quail Rise Estate Ltd and the Wakatipu Trails Trust were either neutral or not opposed to the airport's fast-track bid.
Judge Jackson said QAC's evidence would need to be first served by the end of this year, which would allow appellants more time to brief their witnesses.
However, Ms Dewar said QAC would exchange evidence with other parties by December 23.
The airport would submit testimonies from witnesses regarding traffic, engineering, landscaping, project management, ecology, planning, civil aviation, noise and dust controls, geotechnology, including a testimony from QAC chief executive Steve Sanderson.
The QLDC would call planning and traffic engineering witnesses.
Solicitor Russell Ibbotson, counsel for both Quail Rise Estate and the trails trust, said the estate would also call planning and traffic engineering witnesses, while the trust would call a planning officer and one trustee.
Air New Zealand counsel James Gardner-Hopkins said the appellant would call corporate, economist, civil aviation and planning witnesses.
SPL counsel John Young said he would call on traffic, planning, engineering and landscape witnesses.
Judge Jackson said a mediator would be sought as a "matter of urgency" for late January or early February.
After QAC exchanged evidence on December 23, QLDC would send its evidence to parties by January 30.
Evidence from other parties would be circulated by February 13; QAC would have the opportunity provide rebuttal evidence on February 27; and a hearing date was earmarked for March 9, with Judge John Bollard most likely presiding.
QAC has to build a 90m resa at the eastern end of its runway by October 2011 to meet Civil Aviation Authority criteria for international airports.
Key facts
Shotover Park Ltd appealed to protect the formation of the paper eastern access road and to widen the road bench around the proposed resa gravel fill.
Air New Zealand fears "very significant costs" will be passed to it from the resa construction and the consequences would be an increased cost to passengers and reductions in services. Future service expansion plans could be jeopardised.
Quail Rise Estate Ltd said in its appeal the Queenstown Airport Corporation, as the requiring authority, was wrong in determining the environmental effects of resa construction would be minor.
It wanted access to the resa site via Tuckers Beach Rd to be modified or placed under conditions.
The Wakatipu Trails Trust called for the construction of a pedestrian access along the proposed bench road within three months of the resa being finished to be listed as a condition.
