Airservices rolls out new Brisbane noise plan

Under the changes, arrival flight paths to the northern end of the new runway will be shifted north, reducing population overflown by around 59,000, and new short-approach connections have been created for non-jet aircraft.

Additionally, arrival flight paths to the southern end of the runways will be changed to enable Independent Parallel Runway Operations (IPRO), reducing population overflown by around 35,000; and departure flight paths to the southeast from the legacy runway will be shifted further east, reducing population overflown by around 44,500.

“We considered a range of factors in making these flightpath decisions including population, noise levels, frequency of overflight, cumulative impact, track miles and emissions and aircraft altitude,” said Donna Marshall, Airservices Australia’s head of community engagement.

“We want to thank community and industry for their feedback. We have heard from the community many times that we need to reduce the impact of aircraft operations on communities, in keeping with our legislated obligations, and making decisions which reduce the number of people overflown is a key way to achieve this.”

Tim Boyle, Brisbane Airport’s head of airspace, has thanked the community members who gave feedback during the consultation process.

“The changes will mean flights operate over fewer people, which is an important consideration for our community. They will also help reduce waiting times in the sky during peak periods, improving the travel experience for passengers,” he said.

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“As Brisbane continues to grow, our focus remains on a balanced approach that delivers the connectivity and economic benefits the region relies on while minimising impacts on nearby communities.”

Long-time airport critics the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA), however, have said the changes are “disappointing”, with chair Professor Marcus Foth saying Brisbane Airport is “being prepared to operate like two airports in one location”.

“Once Independent Parallel Runway Operations are enabled, Brisbane Airport will have the airspace architecture it needs for simultaneous independent landings on both runways. That is an airport and airline growth measure being sold to the public as community relief,” he said.

“The claim that 140,000 residents will be spared aircraft noise is marketing spin. Airservices is counting people inside a modelled corridor, not measuring actual aircraft noise, sleep disturbance, frequency of overflights, or cumulative health harm.

“Trax identified 49 possible improvement opportunities in 2022. Four years later, Airservices’ own Package 3 outcomes show only four Package 3 actions implemented, with many others not progressed, still under review, or pushed into future work. That is not a comprehensive noise fix.”

BFPCA has been advocating for caps and curfews at Brisbane Airport, which the airport has said are not the solution to noise issues and could have a drastic impact on the Queensland economy.