THE PRESS - Developers in Franz Josef are proposing what they say will be the largest privately funded heliport in New Zealand.
Callery Holdings Ltd plans to seek resource consent for a 10-pad commercial heliport, 3km north-east of the West Coast tourist town. Franz Josef’s three main helicopter tour operators currently use a Westland District Council four-pad base, 200m from houses in Franz Josef.

From November 2008, the council will not extend permits for the helipads because of complaints over noise and fuel fumes. In summer, 11 helicopters fly 10 hours a day on sightseeing tours. Callery director Gavin Molloy said his proposal, on a 3.5ha site, included flight operations centres, hangars and a new road to the Franz Josef township. He believed it was the first fully privately funded commercial heliport of its size in the country, and said it had room for further helipads. Operators could house aircraft on-site, rather than throughout the Waiho Basin, he said. Molloy said flight paths would be “significantly less intrusive” than existing routes to the township and the glacier.

“It will certainly lessen the noise because we’ll be able to fly at higher levels and further away from the critical area from the glacier road carpark and the terminal face. “We’re proposing the flight paths will be higher and further up the valley walls, and thereby lessen the noise.”