Rotorua runway extension hits snag

Rotorua's council insists the airport runway extension project is on track - despite the Civil Aviation Authority still to approve part of it.


The airport company and the Rotorua District Council are extending the runway to enable regular flights between Rotorua and Australia by the end of this year.


The council was given the green light by the Environment Court in December 2007 to go ahead with the expansion. The project is expected to cost just over $30 million, including extending the runway by 487m to the south.


Work has already been done to extend the northern end of the runway which included providing a 90m runway end safety area (RESA).


But the airport company has hit a hurdle with the Civil Aviation Authority not yet approving the northern RESA.


The authority's general manager of personnel licensing and aviation services, Graeme Harris, said a RESA provided clear land at each end of the runway in the event of an aircraft running off the runway, giving passengers a higher chance of survival.


According to CAA rules, the RESA must be 240m long where practicable but can be as less as 90m as long as sufficient information could be provided to show it was not practicable to have it any longer.


A 220m RESA at the southern end has been approved but the airport company, known as Rotorua Regional Airport Ltd, has not provided sufficient information in relation to the 90m northern RESA. The CAA has told the company it cannot approve it and has sought further information.


In a letter from the CAA to the airport's chief executive, George White, the authority said no evidence had been provided to show the airport company was unable to acquire land at the northern end of the runway for use as a RESA either by purchasing, leasing or "some other means" to make the RESA longer than 90m.


"They have simply said they are unable to provide it (longer than 90m)," Mr Harris told The Daily Post yesterday.


Mr Harris said until the northern RESA was signed off by the CAA, the authority could restrict the bigger aircrafts flying into Rotorua Airport such as those used for transtasman flights.


Mr White told The Daily Post more information was to be provided to the CAA including a proposal to extend the northern RESA from 90m to 110m by changing the paint marks on the current runway.


Renee Kiriona, who is a trustee of Whakapoungakau 10B5 Lands Trust, which owns some of the land which could be needed, said they had never been approached to lease the land but would consider entering negotiations with the Rotorua District Council, owners of the airport.


She said the trust was prepared to talk with the council as long as the council did not have "any agendas and they are straight up".


She said she was not prepared to say how much the lease would be.


Miss Kiriona said the trust would not sell the land "as that would seem like hypocrisy" when the trust was trying to reclaim land which it claimed had been confiscated.


Council chief executive Peter Guerin said council staff had not finished working with land owners but he said the council would not be so "insensitive" as to buy the land. More information would be provided to the CAA, he said.


"It's way too premature to be making headlines about the northern RESA ... There is no hold-up, runway works are on track and the airport runway will be fully transtasman capable by the end of July."