Airport bird strike letter to QLDC revealed
It's dated March 25 - just 24 hours before the council's emergency announcement.
The Queenstown Airport Corporation has disclosed to Crux that their request to QLDC for action over the Shotover sewage plant bird strike risk was only made in writing on March 25, just 24 hours before the council announced emergency powers would be used to dump up to 12,000 cubic metres a day, for five years, into the Shotover River.
The airport’s management also issued a full statement in response to the following information request from Crux:
“We believe that the real “emergency” faced by QLDC and their Shotover sewage plant is the imminent collapse of the wall built last year around the disposal field.
“Can you send clear, definitive proof (copies of notes, emails, recording etc) that document QAC’s “urgent request” for help with bird strikes from QLDC and evidence of a “dramatically increased bird strike risk.”
“We note that last year's birdstrike was caused by a migratory duck flying over the airfield between remote points A and B - not a “sewage” bird.
“Newsroom notes that these issues/requests (allegedly) took place at a regular quarterly meeting (QAC/QLDC) - if it was an emergency why wait for a quarterly meeting? If it’s an emergency has CAA been informed and a NOTAM issued? When? Should flights be limited right now - if it’s an emergency? Aviation safety is being quoted by QLDC as their main driver.
“There is a very strong view in the community that this is a manufactured and false “emergency” that could damage QAC’s current strong relationship with the community when the truth comes out - and it always does. Already those effects are evident.
QAC supplied the following statement in reply - and a copy of the letter sent to the QLDC on March 25. Download the letter using the link below:
“Wildlife management is an ongoing safety priority for airports and airlines globally. Queenstown Airport has a comprehensive wildlife management plan, particularly focused on birds, and we take an active management approach.
We use a range of tactics to manage the risks associated with birds and bird strike, including bird-scaring, such as light flashes and sound to disperse and deter birds. Before each flight, our airport emergency services team completes airfield checks. We also actively share knowledge across the airport community, which enables us to manage risk in real-time.
QAC regularly monitors and assesses risk in and around the airfield as part of its wildlife management plan.
For many years, we have been working closely with a local consultant ecologist with extensive expertise in the patterns and behaviours of birds in the region and in the areas near the airfield, including the Shotover Delta. Most airfields have species that are resident or migratory, so we closely observe to understand the behaviour and activity of birds and we adapt our response and mitigation activity seasonally.
Ponding water is attractive to birds, so leads to an increased risk. The risk associated with the ponding at the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant has been highlighted to QLDC, as the owner of the plant.
At no point has QAC declared an emergency, which has a very specific definition in an airport setting. The timeline below outlines the monitoring of the risk associated with birds and the dispersal fields and the communication betwen QAC and QLDC about it.
A senior manager at QAC contacted a senior manager at QLDC to initiate a conversation regarding standing water in the dispersal field on 28th November 2024.
This was followed by a phone call on 16th December 2024 during which QAC outlined its concern around standing water because of the dispersal field's proximity to the runway.
QAC continued to monitor the area and the behaviour of birds, in conjunction with the consultant ecologist.
Over the summer months, it became evident that the issue of the ponding water at the wastewater treatment plant dispersal field was not temporary, and was likely to remain for a prolonged period and it was observed that an increasing number of birds were resident across the ponds and dispersal field.
A meeting was held between QAC management and QLDC management on 13th February 2025 where the continued presence of the standing water, the bird activity on the dispersal field, and the importance of urgent action was discussed.
QAC attended mediation proceedings between the Otago Regional Council and Queenstown Lakes District Council in Queenstown on the 3rd and 4th March as an Interested Party.
On the 19th of March, at a scheduled quarterly meeting between the QLDC Mayor and CEO and the QAC Chair and CEO the issue was discussed.
QAC then wrote to QLDC on 25th March 2025 to confirm the urgency of the situation and the elevated risk to aviation. In that letter, QAC sought a response from QLDC on the action it intended to take to address this situation. A copy of this letter is attached. The contents of the letter are provided in full. Personal details have been redacted to protect the privacy of individuals.”
unbelievable - no democracy here and the QAC letter just requires action that should have been taken months ago. As an (ex) pilot , bird strike is existential! So how did the field get apprval in the first place being so near the airport?
There is not much that is funny about this fiasco. But just to clarify: ONE duck, and three years sitting on their hands, is the justification for the emergency.