Brisbane Airport curfew trial

Critically, a curfew will increase the sensitivity to noise of neighbouring communities while concentrating noise over new communities that have never experienced it.

Brisbane Airport has had a long history of not only assisting Australia to stay connected, but also in generating economic growth in neighbouring communities, Queensland and Australia as a whole. It is important to note that the layout of Brisbane Airport was done in such a way as to create a noise buffer around it with large areas of land around it.

Brisbane Airport curfew trial Unnecessary and counter-productive One of the strongest lessons to emerge from airports nationwide and especially Brisbane Airport is from councils that manage land use well by buffering the airport from residential developments.

There will of course always be the temptation to infill with high-density residential areas, but it is widely recognised in progressive planning departments that this will impact negatively on the economic development of the area and have a negative impact on jobs. This is why it is so important for states and territories to implement the National Airports Safeguarding Framework. In addition to significantly decreasing the risk of occurrences such as wildlife strikes on planes (as an example), it also endeavours to protect one of the basic enablers for economic growth – transport.

It is clear that a curfew on Brisbane Airport would put pressure on jobs and economic activity. One can cite the difficulty this would create attracting new tourist services or the risk to long-haul international flights to Brisbane as cautions against proceeding with operational limitations.

It has also independently been shown that the majority of residents simply do not want a curfew. The community has acknowledged that a curfew will bring significant personal economic risk and make it harder for them and the state to reach their goals.

The AAA understands a recent study by the independent research company TNS to better understand that community’s perception about Brisbane Airport’s 24/7 operations among 1,400 residents found that respondents did not support a curfew because: >> 74 per cent believed it will make the airport even busier than it is currently; >> 69 per cent believed it will create difficulties for international travellers; >> 64 per cent believed it will impact negatively on freight and other business related traffic; and >> 61 per cent believed it would impact negatively on the Queensland tourism industry.

Noise complaints historically peak in the hours just after 6am and 6pm.

When curfews are lifted, flights that could have made use of runway configurations that minimise noisewill likely now be forced to take off in a concentrated period, which would represent a change in the noise profile. Experience gained by the noise ombudsman shows this will simply increase complaints again.

A curfew will clearly force more services into these peak periods where, as it happens, data shows residents to be more noise sensitive. The survey results corroborate what residents are saying.

Noise complaints have steadily been decreasing at Brisbane Airport. Very importantly, these continue to relate to the time of day that a curfew will most likely force additional services into. The data from noise complaints clearly shows that a curfew will increase the noise complaints received.

The recently published Curfew at International Airports – a Study of Current Practice paper surveyed airports across the globe and we understand could find no example of restrictions being lifted or amended. The very real risk exists that a short-term trial curfew will merely become a permanent fixture.

With the short-term curfew in place, airports further afield are likely to receive overflow traffic, which would themselves likely to create noise complaints as the nature of the flights changes.

Careful consideration needs to be given to noise-sharing as it has the potential to expose community members to noise for the first time, triggering significant resentment. Those that receive respite will adjust quickly to the new norm, experiencing significant negative effects if or when noise returns. A trial curfew would likely have such an effect.

It is critical that a curfew not be imposed on Brisbane Airport as its 24-hour operations status is almost unique on the east coast of Australia.

The AAA and the airports industry are of the firm opinion it would be counter-productive for any additional operational limitations to be enforced at Brisbane. The airport is a community and national asset tasked with fulfilling its function as an airport.