Destination Queenstown's chief executive is calling for an urgent assessment of Queenstown Airport and its potential for development, given the likelihood of increasing tourism capacity around Wakatipu.
Last week, budget Australian airline Jetstar announced it was taking over the domestic routes of its parent, Qantas, which will boost passenger seat numbers by almost 30% to 2478 seats a week.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Stephen Pahl said, although airport development was "not high on the list" of issues being addressed at the moment for the benefit of the region, "It's an urgent matter.
There would be a huge capital cost spread out over several years for airport development."
After June 10, Jetstar will schedule three flights a day to Queenstown using 177-seat A320s, a 41-seat gain on Qantas' earlier 737 craft, but Mr Pahl was looking further ahead to the larger and heavier A330s, which have a minimum of 250 seats and whose weight capacity is beyond the Queenstown Aairport's limit of 72.5 tonnes.
"I'm very keen to continue to highlight that we need airport development on the agenda," Mr Pahl said.
He noted that last week's resource consent hearing for gravel extraction at the Shotover delta for the airport was for a "runway extension safety area [Resa]", not an outright extension to the present 1911m runway.
The airport was subsequently "between a rock and a hard place", being bounded by the Shotover River and residential housing, he said.
His call was prompted by a combination of potentially more passengers with Jetstar, excess accommodation in the Wakatipu area and the hundreds of rooms coming onstream with the completion of the $1 billion Kawau Falls Station five-hotel project.
He is yet to talk to Destination Queenstown's board on the matter, but wants to talk to the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Queenstown Airport Corporation on issues such as a tarmac upgrade, the runway and possibly relocation options.
Queenstown Airport Corporation's general manager commercial Simon Barr said the organisation retained a good working relationship with Destination Queenstown, and while there had been no discussions on tarmac, runway or relocation, an earlier report had ruled out relocation.
While the tarmac could take craft heavier than the 72.5 tonne certification, Mr Barr said it would accelerate its deterioration.
He was unaware if an upgrade was being considered.
QLDC chief executive Duncan Field was unavailable for comment. Mr Pahl said a "disappointing" down side to the Jetstar announcement was that its planes were not equipped with the crucial RNP (Required Navigational Performance) system which allowed Air New Zealand to fly in and out during inclement weather.
During winter, 12 to 15 flights a month had to be diverted from Queenstown, mainly to Invercargill, he said.
While Jetstar had committed to having all aircraft RNP-equipped and rated by the end of the year, a flight "deviation policy" had yet to be formulated, he said.
He noted that, unlike Qantas 737 craft, which were hand-loaded with baggage, the baggage on Jetstar A320s was containerised.
He understood Invercargill airport did not have facilities for off-loading containerised baggage.
