Christchurch International Airport Ltd Central Otago project manager Michael Singleton said the sessions, which took place in Tarras, Cromwell and Wānaka, had been full of people "curious to understand more about the project".
"We had lots of conversations with people and spent time listening and answering questions.
"Our goal was that people would come away more informed and we feel like we achieved that."
Cromwell Community Board member Wally Sanford, who attended the session in Tarras, said he was "generally supportive" of the project and appreciated the level of information Christchurch Airport had on offer.
"I thought the information that they provided was quite informative. And it’s presented in a really palatable manner which, by definition, lacked some details.
"You know, the general public are not aeronautical experts. They don’t need an aeronautical expert’s level of information."
The airport could bring economic benefits to the region, particularly around shipping freight, Mr Sanford said.
"Obviously, there’s some criticism of sorts from the Tarras residents about the hopes and dreams for freight leaving there on the current demand.
"But my firm view on that is we don’t have air freight available now, so obviously that’s not our market. But you can build it and they might come."
"There’d be Auckland to Tarras direct couriers, for example, right? There could be a lot of trucks off the road between Cromwell and Christchurch."
One Tarras resident, who asked to remain anonymous over concerns of harassment, said they had also attended the Tarras session and were in favour of the plans as they stood.
"I had been on the fence and that, but I think it’s good. They’re looking to the future.
"If they aren’t building an airport here, it will be housing."
Christchurch Airport Ltd had indicated it intends to begin the consents process as soon as next year.
The company may have a fight on its hands, however, as Sustainable Tarras spokeswoman Marilyn Duxson said earlier this week the group was prepared to take legal action against the airport if necessary.
"We’ll be working with volunteers and as much money as we can raise," she said.
"We’ve got people with a lot of experience, so we’ll fight them as much as we can and hope to get as many people together as we can from various parts of Central Otago.
"It’s not going to make our next few years pleasant."
