To keep Whakatāne Airport safe, Whakatāne District Council will be starting work next week to remove and trim trees at the airport entrance lane.

Council Assets and Operations Ports and Airport Nikorima Broughton said several of Australian banksias at the entrance to the airport have grown into the airport flight path and need to be trimmed or removed as part of Civil Aviation Authority requirements.

“To ensure the trees don’t become a safety hazard, we’ll be trimming 39 and removing seven,” said Mr Broughton.

“We’ve done our best to keep as many trees as possible, but we need to remove those seven as they have weak limbs in danger of falling.

“Our arborist will be shaping the trees, so they won’t need trimming again for at least another five years.

“While our first priority is the health of the trees, if we can, we will also be reshaping the trees to discourage birds from nesting as too many birds can pose a danger to flights too.”

Work on the trees is expected to take a month to complete.