Central Otago District Council is pleading with the public to keep well away from operational areas at Alexandra Airport, following a series of near misses.

The incidents involved people who had accessed the area near the runway when they were not authorised to, which has raised concern among airport officials and the Central Otago District Council (CODC).

CODC raised the issue last week among its social media followers, particularly people who enjoy the tracks near the airport for cycling, motorbiking, walking and exercising their dogs.

A CODC spokesperson said measures have been taken to limit public access onto operational areas and asked everyone to follow the rules “for safety’s sake”.

“We do want people to enjoy the Alexandra Airport tracks . . . however, people need to stick to the permitted tracks and stay away from the operational areas of the airport.”

People are only permitted to use tracks or trails outside the red areas. PHOTO: Supplied

A pilot, who did not want to be named, said although he had not witnessed any near-misses himself, he had heard of others who had.

His message to people was simple: “it’s an operational area - the risk of near-misses is high because they are in the operational area.”

He said it was particularly concerning that people had ventured into an operational area when they knew they shouldn’t.

People are reminded not to walk or bike in the red shaded areas. PHOTO: The Central App

The council asks people to pass the message on to others who they know use the tracks, reminding them to “stick to permitted tracks and stay away from operational areas of the airport”.