Sunday, November 15, 2015

Airline pilots want longer safety zones in Wellington runway extension plans



The New Zealand airline pilots union has gone to court over the minimum safety zone at each end of the proposed runway extension at Wellington airport.

The Airline Pilots' Association says the Civil Aviation director has approved a 90m runway end safety area (RESA) for the proposal, their lawyer Hugh Rennie, QC, said.

It seems the director was "lured down the golden path" and considered cost, which was not part of his role, Rennie said.

The pilots say the director should have looked at whether a primary requirement of 240m RESA was "practicable" and, if it was not, to consider what shorter distance was practicable.

But Justice Karen Clark was told that the director says he has not made a decision, that the process is continuing. Pilots are still able to talk to him about the issue, but the pilots say the director has stopped consulting about it.

Rennie told the judge that the court hearing, which is due to take three days, was not an "us and them" confrontational case but there were competing interpretations and the court's decision would help all parties.

The issue was of general application to all major New Zealand airports, he said.

The director of Civil Aviation also wants the court's decision on the correct legal interpretation he has to apply, Rennie said.

Wellington International Airport Ltd is also a party to the case. It is expected to say that the director has made his decision about the RESA and it should not be changed.

The safety zones at the airport are currently 90m, pilots say.

Wellington's runway is short, about 1800m at the moment. A 300m extension to the south end has been proposed.

The hearing is continuing.

- Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz

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