A spokesperson for the national carrier said the discussions were "focused on sharing insights and thinking around the medium- to long-term prospects for electric-powered aircraft and how that may be relevant to regional airports across the country".
"Air New Zealand is committed to making progress towards sustainable aviation, and these conversations were intended to help inform possible future options for Hood Aerodrome rather than turboprop commercial services.
"The airline values its relationship with the Wairarapa region, including through tourism promotion and being prepared to contribute insight into aviation-related plans for the region."
Andrea Jackson, MDC's manager of community facilities and activities said the meeting was "an opportunity to share views about developments in the use of electric aircraft", and "the implications for regional airports across the country".
"But no specific commercial plans or proposals were discussed," she said.
"Industry commentators have speculated that smaller electric aircraft may have a role to play in servicing regional areas in future."
One of New Zealand's electric flight pioneers is Gary Freedman.
Freedman's sustainable aviation company, Electric Air, trains pilots in a Slovenian-built low-emission plane.
The two-seater plane runs on a battery with a 90-minute duration and can recharge within an hour.
He said electric training planes could take off all around New Zealand within a couple of years. He said this would be a significant change, given the hundreds of thousands of training hours undertaken across the country.
"One of the reasons we've done this is to raise awareness and get people thinking in a slightly different way.
"The next step is moving to larger, 10-ish seat aircraft for short commuter flights, with the advantages of no noise, low costs and low emissions."
A plane taking off from Masterton's Hood Aerodrome. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age
And larger electric planes could be a feature on the timetable within 10 years.
"At the moment you can't go buy one off the shelf. But by the end of the decade, I could see that happening."
He said electric prototypes are being built.
But the opportunity to replace current fuel engines with electric replacements meant the retro-fit electric engines could open up the market much more quickly.
"New Zealand has lots of aircraft of that scale flying around. For tourism, short-haul stuff, and little hops.
"In aircraft, every couple of thousand hours the engine needs to be replaced. It's a really good opportunity at that point to think 'why don't we put an electric engine in, rather than a big horrible combustion engine?' And go that route.
"That's something I think could happen, and that would mean we would have these aircraft sooner, and cheaper."
He said current regulations would need an overhaul, but the concept could revolutionise the industry and bring cheap, quiet commuter flights to the provinces.
"People don't realise how much quieter these planes are.
"They can land in the smaller aerodromes and airfields.
"It doesn't be the larger airports that win all the time. This could open up opportunities for smaller airports."
