Christchurch International Airport Ltd is expected to decide if it will go ahead with its plans for a new airport at the confluence of the Hawea, Lindis and Cromwell valleys in Central Otago by the end of 2023.
It originally planned to release its preference for the direction of the proposed airport’s runway from two previously identified options by the end of this year.
However, Christchurch Airport Central Otago project director Michael Singleton said a detailed site analysis was presently in its "final stages".
He was close to being able to identify the preferred runway alignment and flight paths.
"These are critical building blocks to get right and it’s important our experts are able to take the time they need to complete their analysis," Mr Singleton said.
"We’re confident we’ll be able to finalise our analysis and identify a preferred alignment in early 2023."
He appreciated there was a high level of interest in the project.
The project team had worked hard to be in a position to release the work before Christmas, but they still had some work to do, he said.
Efforts were also under way to ensure the information was well-communicated, "particularly to those who live closest to the site", he said.
Experts were evaluating the two runway alignment options revealed last year to determine a preference.
Aviation safety was the paramount concern.
Environmental considerations, such as noise, emissions and landscape effects, and the ability of the airspace around the runway to allow for arrivals and departures in the future, were also core to the considerations.
Since Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns first announced in 2020 the airport spent $45 million to buy a 750ha block of land bordering State Highways 8 and 8A, the Tarras airport proposal has met with some opposition.
In September, when Mr Johns announced he would be leaving Christchurch Airport to take up the chief executive’s role at Genesis Energy, in Auckland, in March, opponents of the project said his departure would be the perfect opportunity for the airport to back away from the plans.
However, in a project update last month, Mr Singleton remained bullish on the concept.
The reopening of New Zealand’s borders was a reminder of the need for a new airport in the area, he said.
"Already, total passenger movement into this special part of the world [is] above pre-Covid levels at times and all predictions are that growth will continue.
"That means the need to find new airport capacity is as pressing as it was before the pandemic."
