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Airservices will delay the implementation of air traffic control at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport after issues with the planned site.
Originally slated to come online on 27 November this year, the controlled airspace at Ballina Byron will now be introduced on 11 June 2026.
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“A detailed analysis of the proposed site for the initial control service identified a number of infrastructure challenges, including line-of-sight obstructions,” Airservices said in a statement.
“Airservices is actively working on identifying an alternative site and refining the delivery plan to ensure the location and infrastructure for the aerodrome control solution is fit-for-purpose and meets regulatory requirements.”
Airservices will continue to provide Surveillance Flight Information Service (SFIS) at Ballina until controlled airspace is introduced.
“The introduction of controlled airspace at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport follows a 2022 CASA airspace review, which included extensive industry feedback,” Airservices said.
“In recent years, airspace safety around Ballina Airport has been enhanced through improvements which include implementation of SFIS, an additional Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) ground station and changes to radio frequencies to reduce congestion.”
Airservices had initially planned to launch digital aerodrome services (DAS) at Ballina Byron, but this was pushed back last year, with a conventional tower to be used in the interim. A spokesperson told Australian Aviation in July 2024 that options being explored include a mobile control tower.
“While our intention at the time of the CASA announcement was to provide this by way of a DAS, it was later determined that the delivery risk of deploying a DAS at Ballina in this timeframe was too great given our existing commitments to deploy DAS at Canberra and Western Sydney International Airport (WSIA) in 2025 and 2026 respectively,” the spokesperson said.
“Consequently, to mitigate delivery risk and to protect the DAS deployments at Canberra and WSIA, the DAS deployment at Ballina was deferred.
“Canberra Airport DAS will provide significant insights into the benefits of DAS on a cross runway aerodrome. By leveraging lessons learned we can expect a more efficient and effective deployment of DAS technology for Ballina.”
Digital aerodrome services use cameras and computer-aided technology to allow for air traffic control to operate at an airport without the need for a physical tower. Western Sydney International will be the first airport designed for DAS when it opens in 2026.
