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Airservices is moving to implement new anti-noise measures at Brisbane Airport following a direction from the Transport Minister.
Starting 28 November, air traffic controllers will increase the use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS), which would allow more flights to take off and land over Moreton Bay rather than populated areas of Brisbane.
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SODPROPS, which involves aircraft landing on one parallel runway while others take off on the other parallel runway, would be the priority operating mode when conditions allow.
This would boost its use on weekends as well as weeknights after 9pm, and follows Transport Minister Catherine King’s direction in September for Airservices to increase its use of the practice.
According to Airservices’ head of community engagement, Donna Marshall, every flight using SODPROPS would fly over between 300,000 and 500,000 fewer people compared to standard operations on the parallel runways.
“The flight path changes being delivered are part of the measures outlined in Airservices Noise Action Plan for Brisbane and consistent with the Ministerial Direction issued to Airservices in September. They will support an increase in SODPROPS use from the current two per cent of all operations to around five per cent in 2025,” she said.
“The changes are a result of extensive consultation with the people of Brisbane and respond to Redlands community concerns about aircraft noise impacts.
“Under these changes the height of aircraft operations over the Redlands area will increase from 8,000ft to above 12,000ft to reduce the noise impact. To facilitate this change, we also need to make some minor adjustments to the arrival flight paths over North Stradbroke Island that are used during SODPROPS.
“While this involves lowering the paths so aircraft remain separated from daytime arrivals to Gold Coast Airport, we do not believe this will be noticeable to communities but a noise monitor will be installed on North Stradbroke Island so we can monitor these operations.”
Noise issues have been a flashpoint at Brisbane Airport since the completion of its new parallel runway in July 2020, which allowed more flight paths to open up, but affected nearby communities in the process.
There were various calls – including from the Greens – for caps and curfews, though owners of Brisbane Airport Corporation pointed to a potential $1 billion annual cost to the city’s economy. Others, including BAC, supported more flights being routed over Moreton Bay.
The airport last year had a breakthrough when Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific agreed to fly in tailwinds of up to 7 knots at the airport, allowing more night-time flights over Moreton Bay rather than populated areas.
