The Albanese Government has taken further steps to offer aircraft noise relief for the Brisbane community, particularly for residents of suburbs closest to the end of the parallel runways at Brisbane Airport.
I understand that aircraft noise is a source of frustration for communities living under the flight paths around the Airport.
That is why I have now issued a written direction which has the effect of requiring Airservices to implement the actions within recommendation 2.1 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane by 30 November 2024.
This direction will involve Airservices prioritising the development of procedures to enable the greater use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS) at Brisbane Airport, when meteorological and other operational conditions allow.
Ultimately, this will mean more flights over the water and fewer flights over communities.
The direction also includes reporting requirements to enhance transparency for the community.
These actions will build on the progress Airservices has already made to improve aircraft noise outcomes for the Brisbane community as part of the Action Plan. Actions undertaken in 2023 include:
- Permanently extending SODPROPS operations to 8am on Saturday and Sunday mornings and from 8pm on Saturday evenings
- Removing the Noise Abatement Procedure that allowed the new runway to be used over land from 5am for non-jet departures
- Implementing non-jet early turns from the legacy runway over land before 6am, so that aircraft cross the industrial area adjoining Brisbane Airport and complete their climb over water
- A change of runway from the new parallel runway to the legacy one for over water departures to the west, to address an existing operational safety issue.
This adds to a range of measures announced through the Aviation White Paper that will better manage the impacts of noise at airports across the country.
These measures include:
- Creating an independent ombuds scheme for aircraft noise
- Appointing an Airservices Australia executive for noise and environment to lead the agency's work on noise minimisation
- Improving engagement with communities affected by changes to airspace and flight paths.
