The proposed Tarras airport would be able to serve short-haul international destinations such as Australia and parts of the Pacific, according to a preliminary aeronautical assessment of the site.

The assessment says the site could support an airfield with a single runway of at least 2.2 kilometres and possibly up to three kilometres.

Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) revealed plans to develop a jet-capable airport on 750ha of land at Tarras in July 2020.

CIAL project director Michael Singleton said the preliminary assessment is simply a small step forward for the project.

“The findings are encouraging but they’re not final. This assessment has given us the confidence to undertake the next stage of more detailed analysis to determine a preferred single runway alignment,” Michael said.

Two potential runway alignments have been identified: one aligning to the Lindis Valley and Lake Dunstan; the other to the Hāwea valley and Lake Dunstan.

Two runway alignments have been identified in a preliminary aeronautical assessment.

“This initial assessment shows both options enable safe and efficient operation of various aircraft types, including new generation narrow and wide-body jets, freight, turboprop and small passenger aircraft,” Michael said.

The preliminary assessment found both alignments would enable aircraft to connect to existing flight paths and would have similar emissions profiles.

CIAL said noise impacts have yet to be technically analysed.

The next phase of analysis will take between six to nine months after which CIAL expects to be able to identify its preferred runway alignment.

Michael says a number of studies will be part of the project’s ‘planning and validation’ phase, which is expected to run to 2023.

“It won’t be until they’re completed that we can make a decision on whether to take the project into the next phase – getting the required operational and planning approvals.”

Details of the preliminary aeronautical assessment can be downloaded from the project’s website.

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