Noise travels fast: Flight paths to change for different days of the week

The news

Aircraft would use alternate flight paths over Brisbane on different days of the week under a proposal to share the burden of noise in the suburbs.

The number of Brisbane flights over Moreton Bay would increase, with Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast flights pushed further offshore to accommodate the changes.

Following a consultation process, Airservices Australia will start by changing flight paths over Brisbane’s northern and western suburbs, then turn its attention to the southern suburbs.

“Where we have a departure that’s due to go up north, we have some alternative flight path options for that,” said Donna Marshall, Airservices Australia head of community engagement.

“We keep the existing flight path, but there may be a second or third alternate flight path.

“That would mean we operate one on a Monday, one on a Tuesday and one on a Wednesday, to give the existing community a night off, effectively.

“What that does is share the aircraft noise impacts across multiple communities instead of concentrating over one community.”

For the airlines, the changes would likely mean slightly longer distances to fly and more fuel to burn.

The public can comment on the proposed changes until September 10, which would inform the detailed designs and an environmental assessment of the new flight paths.

Marshall said the process would take at least a year.

How we got here

When Brisbane Airport began using its new parallel runway in 2020, there was an increase in noise complaints from suburbs where aircraft noise had not previously been a problem.

Independent studies since criticised of the way the runway was being used.

In response, authorities have looked at possible solutions, particularly the organisation of flight movements where aircraft arrive and depart on different runways but in the same direction, over Moreton Bay.

That approach was recommended in several reports and was still set to be implemented by 2025.

What do the noise campaigners say?

Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) chair Professor Marcus Foth condemned the idea of sharing aircraft noise, likening it to living next door to a party house.

“You live in your home for 30 years and all of a sudden, there are people moving in next door, and they have a party every day, every night,” Foth said.

“So Monday they open the kitchen window, and on Wednesday they open the bathroom window and maybe on Friday they open the living room window.

“That is, in essence, what noise sharing is.”

Instead of further studies, Foth called for Brisbane Airport to have a curfew or flight caps, and for airlines to pay levies to cover the cost of providing double-glazed windows or buying out affected properties.

What happens next

Community consultation sessions will be held online and in-person from August 8-21 at Forest Lake, Annerley, Mt Gravatt, Everton Park, Brookfield, Paddington, Belmont, Cleveland and Cannon Hill.