Details have also emerged about Dunedin Airport’s appeal of the independent commissioners’ decision last year to approve the Dunedin City Council’s application for a landfill at Smooth Hill, south of Brighton.
The New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association Inc filed a "notice of wish to be party to proceedings" in the Environment Court in a Dunedin Airport and South Coast Neighbourhood Society appeal, in October.
The pilots association notice was contained in a council response, late last week, to an official information request by the Otago Daily Times.
The association is a professional association and union representing 90% of airline pilots and 99% of air traffic controllers in New Zealand.
Members routinely flew and directed aircraft in and out of the council-controlled Dunedin Airport, the documents, included in a tranche of emails released by the council, said.
The association’s notice said it was interested in the "reverse sensitivity effects" of bird strike on the airport, on airlines, and on its members who flew in and out of the airport.
It was also interested in the effects of a landfill only 4.5km from an airport "on the availability of safe air transport infrastructure for Dunedin".
The resource consent decision released on September 9 noted commissioners only heard from one qualified expert during the hearings, who spoke in favour of the council’s application.
The approval took into consideration plans for a full-time, on-site bird control officer, as well as the prohibition of "highly odorous waste" that otherwise could attract birds to the landfill site.
It noted the airport’s concerns that an increased risk of bird strike could jeopardise its ability to retain its safety and security certification.
However, conditions were in place such that there would be no increase to the risk of bird strike compared to the status quo, the decision said.
In the emails now released by the council, it also became clear the reported "very specific conditions" the airport was appealing on related in part to avoiding the risk that the Civil Aviation Authority might impose constraints on the operation of the airport.
The emails also appear to show some co-ordination between the airport and the council about the time of the appeal.
On September 30, airport business development general manager Megan Crawford wrote to a city council spokesman to inform him of the airport’s response to the Otago Daily Times when asked whether it would appeal the commissioners’ decision.
In the email Ms Crawford said she had spoken with council chief executive Sandy Graham about what the airport would say before responding to the ODT.
Two minutes later, the council spokesman forwarded the email to Ms Graham, who seven minutes later sent out word of the appeal to all councillors.
"We have been working with the airport over their remaining concerns about the operation of a landfill at Smooth Hill," Ms Graham said.
"We are close to agreement but couldn’t get it finalised in advance of the appeal period closing.
"The airport will therefore be submitting an appeal on a very limited basis."
The airport told the ODT on September 30 it was hopeful its concerns could be resolved in the coming days.
Then, on November 7, it told the ODT it did not have any information to add to its previous comment.
Now, the council has released the airport’s notice of appeal that said the conditions imposed on the landfill operations did not avoid the risk that constraints could be placed on airport operations.
A risk of aviation hazard from bird strike created by the landfill should be carried by the council and not the airport, or the travelling public, the airport said.
The emails released by the council refer only to the issues of bird strike and aviation safety and do not indicate whether or not the council and airport have yet reached an agreement.
However, in its latest update on the process, from October, the council website says the council is engaged in an ongoing statutory Environment Court process after the court received two appeals.
