Christchurch International Airport Limited’s (CIAL) General Manager of Strategy and Sustainability Rhys Boswell delivered a presentation to Conference about the airport’s development, growth, issues and future plans.

The Christchurch Airport sees itself as a “champion of the South Island” and Boswell explained that his work involves providing the necessary infrastructure for sustainable growth, particularly on key issues such as bird strikes, noise, performance based navigation (PBN), protection surfaces and airport master planning.

Boswell announced that CIAL had achieved a three-kilometre ‘bird-free’ zone around the airport, which includes prohibiting development of industries that might attract birds and pose safety risks to aircraft. Christchurch Airport had enlisted help from NZALPA for evidence on this process. He also reported that the airport would resubmit the district plan on noise controls. Additional engine testing noise contours would be established for the first time and CIAL will be answerable on what engines are tested, when and why.

With regards to PBN, the airport was to establish a trial and commencement of the New Southern Skies initiative, an ambitious programme designed to modernise the New Zealand aviation system, over the next couple of months.

For runway end protection areas (REPAs) and runway end safety areas (RESAs), the team is anticipating the needs of the airport 10 to 30 years from now, while keeping an eye on what is happening outside its parameters in case a parallel runway and further facilities, such as more contact gates, are needed.