Two more commercial helicopter operators have lodged applications for resource consents to land on sites within the Queenstown Lakes District.
Aspiring Helicopters Ltd, of Wanaka, applied to Lakes Environmental to establish 23 landing sites on land administered by the Department of Conservation.
The proposed sites included Lochnagar Hut, Shark Tooth Hut and the Treble Cone summit, high point and car park.
Aspiring proposed to take 92 trips to both sites each year and had organised 10 trips each so far this year.
Aspiring said it wanted the sites for scenic flights, transportation for independent or guided recreational activities, chartered activities and to service skifields.
The application said further sites were to be included on pastoral lease and freehold properties once affected party approval was obtained.
The company was already permitted to land on 37 sites within Doc administered land by a 10-year concession that expires on March 4, 2009.
The other application to Lakes Environmental was made by Helicopters Queenstown Ltd.
It wants to operate scenic flights, commercial operations and general air charters at the Remarkables Ski Field and to land there up to eight times a day.
The company proposes to run a total of 50 trips a year.
Helicopter Line Ltd, Helicopters Queenstown Ltd, Alpine Choppers Ltd, Heliworks Ltd and Aspiring Helicopters have now lodged resource consent applications for landing sites.
Quest Moonlight Ltd, of Ben Lomond Station, and Gerry Honecker, of Pipeline Bungy at Skippers Canyon, are private landowners who will allow operators to land, and have applied for site consents which they will manage.
Policy planner Wendy Rolls said Lakes Environmental staff were working through 255 received consent applications for helicopter landings.
A round-table discussion between the Queenstown Lakes District Council and helicopter operators to streamline their consent application process was suggested at the June council meeting but it has yet to be scheduled.
