Adelaide Airport planes create more noise during construction of new taxiway

People living near Adelaide Airport have noticed more noise, sometimes coming from different directions, in the past few weeks. Here’s why.

The temporary shortening of Adelaide Airport’s main runway is forcing planes to use more power and reverse thrust on takeoff and landing, creating a louder noise for residents living under flight paths.

The runway has been shortened by more than a third to just under 2000m since the end of March as part of a project to build a new taxiway for planes accessing the runway.

Adelaide Airport executive general manager of people, culture and customer Dermot O’Neill said the main runway would revert to its usual 3100m length on May 20, when noise levels would revert to normal.

“Due to that shortened runway, aircraft are using additional reverse thrust upon landing and they’re using additional power during takeoff as well,” Mr O’Neill said.

“We’d like to thank people for their patience. These are important works that we are undertaking but we recognise this can be disruptive.”

Planes from at Adelaide Airport. Picture: iStock

Mr Neill said the new taxiway, expected to be complete by the end of August, would allow planes to enter the runway on its northeast end, as well as the current entry point on the southwest.

The main runway has also been closed at night during the airport’s night curfew between 11pm and 6am, forcing planes allowed to touch down during that period, usually between 10 to 15 freight and emergency flights per night, to use the airport’s cross runway, which runs southeast to northwest.

Suburbs under the flight path of planes using the cross runway include Belair, Clapham, Clarence Gardens, Clarence Park, Colonel Light Gardens, Edwardstown, Glandore, Henley Beach, Mitcham, Netley, North Plympton, Pasadena, Torrens Park and West Beach.

The taxiway project comes as work starts on an $85m upgrade on one of the major intersections for commuters travelling from the airport to the CBD.

The upgrade will include new dedicated turning and through lanes on the corner of Sir Donald Bradman Dr and Marion Rd. There will be an extended left turn lane from Marion Road heading towards the airport and new bike lanes on all approaches. There were 28 crashes at the intersection between 2018 and 2022.