Mr Boswell made an unexpected appearance at the public forum to report progress with CIAL’s Tarras airport feasibility study.
Airport opposition group Sustainable Tarras has been hounding CIAL for a business plan, more community engagement and details on passenger number and freight movements.
Its representatives were also at the meeting to seek board support to survey Cromwell public opinion.
Board chairwoman Anna Harrison said Mr Boswell had presented different information to that received so far.
She also said Sustainable Tarras was welcome to collect data.
"We do not oppose you doing it, but we are not in a position to give any opinions either way," she said.
Mr Boswell’s references to "Central Otago" included inland Otago and the Queenstown Lakes district.
CIAL is partway through a three-year planning and validation phase and has a project timeframe of about 10 years.
Central Otago is New Zealand’s second-fastest growing district and its population is conservatively estimated to reach 100,000 by 2050.
CIAL’s research showed the proposed Tarras airport site and Queenstown Airport were about the same distance from the region’s geographical centre at Roaring Meg.
Mr Boswell said Queenstown Airport had served the region well but its 2018 masterplan showed spare capacity would be used by this year.
"Obviously with the Covid effect that timeframe has been pushed out a little. Possibly by 2027, if not sooner, those capacity limitations will be met again at Queenstown Airport," he said.
Dunedin and Invercargill Airports could not truly complement Queenstown Airport as they were three hours’ drive away.
Flying over Central Otago and backtracking by road was inefficient and created carbon emissions, he said.
The new Tarras airport would proactively manage growth, provide operational efficiencies and support demands for 50-plus years, he said.
Wide-body jets would more efficiently transport people and produce because of their aircraft uplift technology had lower carbon emissions than narrow-body jets, he said.
A narrow-body jet would deliver $5 million visitor spend and $100 million in freight value but a wide-body one would deliver twice as much visitor spend and more than five times as much freight capability, he said.
Sustainable Tarras spokeswoman Dr Marilyn Duxson and statistician Richard Walton repeated a survey presentation they gave in Tarras on Sunday.
The 2021 survey found one in eight Tarras respondents supported a new airport, and concerns included rates increases, restrictions on use of land and bird control.
Board members asked Dr Duxson why people thought the airport would increase rates.
"We didn’t discuss that specifically at [Sunday’s] meeting but my guess is more infrastructure would be needed to support the airport. CIAL have said on several occasions that they do not see themselves as responsible for this infrastructure," Ms Duxson said.
