The plan for a new international airport in the South Island is being questioned as the borders reopen and the industry recovers from Covid-19.
Terminals have been proposed in the lower south, more recently, Tarras in Otago.
But with tourists still at a trickle, there is a call for sustainability and to make better use of existing facilities.
To enjoy what the south has to offer including tramping a Great Walk or splashing about on Lake Wānaka, most tourists have hopped on a plane.
There is concern the airport experience should be as sustainable as the rest.
Aviation commentator, Irene King, said "airports are... very capital intensive entities to develop and so it's much better from a sustainable perspective to develop what you've got".
There are three international airports in the South Island: Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin.
Christchurch International Airport is currently investigating another international-capable airport at Tarras, with Queenstown Airport suggesting Wānaka as a secondary location in the past, now on the back-burner.
But experts say it's not logical and we should use existing infrastructure, pointing towards Invercargill.
Queenstown Airport chief executive, Glen Sowry, said: "Invercargill and Dunedin certainly have quite a bit of surplus capacity, indeed, even Christchurch has got a lot of capacity to feed the lower South Island."
Christchurch International Airport told 1News in a statement: "The wider Central Otago region’s populations are among the fastest growing and most travelled in the country and will continue to be so over the next 20 to 30 years.
"A new regional airport is the best way to enable future generations to fly people and products where they need to go using new low-carbon aviation."
Airlines are actively exploring green and sustainable fuel options.
The national carrier, Air New Zealand, is launching the 'Flight NZ0' to see if hydrogen and electric planes can be added to the fleet.
Climate scientist Professor James Renwick said: "I think we need to get on top of understanding how people travel to this country and away again... in a way that reduces their overall emissions of greenhouse gases.
"If you can find ways to bring people here using zero-emissions aircraft for instance, if that's possible, then we can look at maybe building new infrastructure, but at the moment, I think we're not quite there yet."
Queenstown Airport's boss believes it is time everyone in the industry worked together.
Glen Sowry said: "Absolutely, I think collaboration between airlines, airports and the likes so that we can make sure we use the available infrastructure and capacity that's already been built and that exists."
With Invercargill proposed as a secondary airport for the south, Ian Collier from the Southland Regional Development Agency, Great South said: "It's about how we take a tourist from one point to another, not only giving the best experience, but to do it in the most effective and efficient way so that we're taking care of our place and ensuring that we look after the environment."
A conversation that is hoped could change the industry as New Zealand enters a new world after the pandemic.
SHARE ME