Queenstown Airport chief executive Glen Sowry has slammed the nearby Tarras airport proposal in Central Otago, arguing turbo-charged tourism would put a strain on the area.
"In my view, it is pitching a solution in search of a problem. We can all agree that New Zealand is facing infrastructure challenges, but a shortage of airports is not one of them," said Sowry.
"Christchurch Airport proposes to build an international airport operating 24 hours a day on farmland it has bought in Tarras – 10 minutes from Wānaka Airport and over an hour from Queenstown Airport. Its justification is that there is an unmet need in the Southern Lakes region."
"In trying to build a case for its Tarras project, Christchurch Airport has made many false and unsubstantiated claims about Queenstown Airport, including that we do not have room to expand.
"We are in the process of finalising a Master Plan that will allow passenger numbers to increase by a third by 2032 and allocates space for further expansion in the decades beyond that.
"However, that will only happen with the support of our shareholders and the residents of our region. We are listening to them, unlike Christchurch Airport, which seems to be ignoring the widespread rejection of the proposed airport at Tarras.
"If this project is foisted upon Tarras, it is the communities of Central Otago, Upper Clutha and Queenstown that will bear the brunt of the environmental costs and additional strain on infrastructure," said Sowry.
Christchurch Airport, which is behind the Tarras project, said the Central Otago area is poised for growth but constrained by aviation capacity.
By 2040, Queenstown Airport could be "spilling more demand than it is able to satisfy", Christchurch Airport said in a document in August.
"Instead of waiting for a problem to materialise, we are looking at the needs of a region well beyond the current decade and considering the best solution before it becomes an irreversible problem."
Christchurch Airport said Queenstown Airport’s proposed expansion would defer the capacity problem by just a few years.
It had also not been specific about what should happen past 2032.
Sowry described the Tarras project as a large-scale airport capable of handling wide-body long-haul jets from Asia and beyond, operating around the clock.
"Christchurch Airport’s briefing to Treasury states 70% of passengers to the proposed Tarras airport would come from overseas," he said.
"By comparison, about 30% of Queenstown Airport’s passengers arrive on international flights from Australia.
"We know people want to come here, but the idea that we need to submit to limitless growth and fuel turbo-charged tourism is outdated," Sowry said.
Christchurch Airport chief strategy and stakeholder officer Michael Singleton said last month demand to travel to and from Central Otago would continue to grow, even if air capacity was constrained.
"We are supportive of the view that tourism needs to become more sustainable and regenerative," he said.
"We believe that organisations tasked with ensuring the long-term prosperity of their communities should consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of any decisions."
With Grant Miller, ODT
