Christchurch International Airport Ltd’s (CIAL) has provided an update on its proposal for an international airport at Tarras.

CIAL revealed plans in July 2020 to develop a jet-capable airport on 750ha of land at Tarras, after the company had spent $45M purchasing land bordered by State Highway 8 and 8A.

CIAL chief executive Malcolm Johns said the plan was to start with a 2.2 kilometre, jet capable runway.

The latest update from project director Michael Singleton said the project team has been analysing modelling options around runway length, alignment and approach/departure paths.

“The overall goal is to validate the site's suitability for aviation and to identify which options are best in terms of safety and sustainability,” he said.

The project team has also assessed the meteorological conditions (specifically temperature, wind, rain and visibility) on and around the proposed site.

“We've learnt the site has a very low frequency of high wind speeds (>20 knots), there are between 30 and 35 mornings per year where temperatures are at or below freezing and average temperatures range from 22 degrees in January to 6 degrees in July,” Michael said.

He said some few people have raised questions around whether fog would make it impossible to have an airport at Tarras, responding: “Our early assessment of visibility conditions and operational responses shows that's not likely to be an issue.”

Find more information on CIAL’s website for the project. 

PHOTO: Alamy