The Department of Conservation has allocated 122 sites for helicopter landings in Otago outside the Mt Aspiring National Park area.
The sites are in addition to 38 sites provided within the park area, which are separately governed by a draft management plan released last week.
Aircraft landing sites in and around the Mt Aspiring National Park area and the neighbouring Fiordland and Aoraki-Mt Cook National Parks have been a hotly-debated subject for years.
Commercial operators are dealing with tighter regulations and resource consent conditions imposed by local authorities and Doc in attempts to address noise issues.
The operators also face competition among themselves for landing site concessions.
Doc has been working on the Otago helicopter landing concessions outside the Mt Aspiring National Park area for about a year.
The interim decision affects six helicopter operators, all with existing concessions, for a 20-year period.
Doc Otago community relations manager Marian van der Goes confirmed in a media release last week that some new helicopter landing sites had been created but in some cases applications for existing sites had been declined.
"Scenic landings have been happening in the tourist industry for a very long time and we have worked hard with the operators to recognise their needs and requirements.
In this case, the fact that we have been able to consider all the scenic landings outside the national park together has enabled us to make a balanced decision overall.
This should ensure that the operators can plan with confidence for the future," she said.
Written submissions on the concession document close on June 5.
The landing sites include:
• Wakatipu Basin: 93 sites.
• Wanaka: 29 sites.
• Central Otago: one site.
• The Remarkables, Hawea Conservation Park and the Greenstone-Caples conservation area: several landing sites each.
• Most requested landing site: Remarkables Spur.
• Declined landing sites: Ben Lomond Saddle, Moke Lake, 12 Mile Delta.
