Airport noise trial in full flight – but concerns soar over uptake
Five months into an 18-month trial to reduce aircraft noise in Brisbane, residents have voiced concerns over its uptake.
Residents are sceptical of an 18-month voluntary trial to reduce aircraft noise in Brisbane, with airport figures showing about a 14 per cent participation rate over the past five months.
Under the trial, the maximum allowable tailwind speed for departing flights was increased to 10 knots or less – instead of five knots or under – during overnight hours (10pm to 6am) meaning planes could use the airport’s second runway more often.
This runway allows flights to travel over Moreton Bay where the flightpath tracks over fewer homes.
Airservices Australia figures show more noise complaints are received in relation to Brisbane airport than any other major gateway.
In April, 100 complaints were lodged, compared with 55 in Sydney, 35 in Perth and 23 in Melbourne, according to an Australian Aviation Network Report.
You might like
Of the 477 flights that have taken off during trial hours to April, only 68 tailwind departures have been recorded, according to publicly available figures released by the airport.
In a post to Facebook, Griffith MP Renee Coffey said “many locals have commented … about how low the number of requests from pilots for tailwind departures is”.
“Many of us held a lot of hope for this trial to provide our community with some much needed respite overnight,” she wrote.
In the current trial, flights will be cleared to take off in these tailwinds at the pilots’ discretion, providing other conditions are suitable. The trial is purely opt-in, and no aircraft or pilot will be directed to take part.
Next month, the trial is set to be expanded to include arrivals for the upcoming 12-month period.
Coffey told InDaily airport noise impacted many residents in her community.
Stay informed, daily
“Here in Griffith, we’re one of the most impacted communities by aircraft traffic and resultant noise in Brisbane,” she said.
“(Aircraft noise) can severely impact some community members’ mental health, their and their children’s sleep, their level of comfort in their own homes and their enjoyment of their outdoor spaces.”
Hawthorne resident David Diamond, who has lived in the area for nearly 30 years, agreed.
“If you live in a Queenslander, with a tin roof and an open deck, it’s a lot of noise. You have to live inside and shut the door,” he told InDaily.
“Most of the community are not against aviation – and I never will be … (but) we can have flights going overhead every three minutes without proper consultation and accurate flightpath proposals and reporting.
“Our concern is that they’re saying they want to double aircraft movements … but they cannot or will not tell where these flights are going to track – the only assumption we can make is the same people are going to have double the noise which is unsustainable.”
Pilots have previously said they were strongly opposed to increases to tailwind speeds given the lack of safety analysis.
But Brisbane Airport’s head of airspace management Tim Boyle said safety was a “top priority”.
“Even a handful of flights each week will provide valuable data over the 18‑month trial as part of this long-term project to reduce noise for our community.
“Brisbane Airport is committed to collaborating with airlines, Airservices Australia, CASA, and the community on a balanced aviation approach that delivers sustainable outcomes for Brisbane and Queensland.”
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
