Melbourne Airport’s third runway will increase plane noise north, south of Tullamarine
Tens of thousands of extra flights will land at Melbourne Airport under a proposed plan for a third runway. See if the noise will affect your suburb.
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Flights in and out of Melbourne will be significantly changed to send more planes over the suburbs north and south of Tullamarine when a third runway is completed.
Melbourne Airport on Monday released full details for public consultation of its third runway proposal along with a 20-year master plan.
Tullamarine has two runways, one running from north to south and another from east to west, with flights split between the two.
But the airport is planning to build another north to south tarmac to create the capacity for more than 135,000 extra flights each year.
It is expected yearly passenger numbers will grow from 39 million in 2019 to 83 million by 2046 and the $1.9bn project will cater for this growth.
If approved, construction is not expected to be completed until 2027 at the earliest but when finished it will alter the way planes visit the city.
The majority of flights will take off and land from the two north to south runways, increasing noise for some residents already under the existing corridor and adding new flight paths for suburbs south of Tullamarine.
Keilor and Kealba are among the most likely to experience aircraft noise by 2046 while lower level readings will also stretch into Ardeer and Sunshine North. East to west flights will run when conditions allow and less frequently, reducing noise in these directions.
To see if you will be affected by the noise, click here
The airport is investigating sending more flights north over the city’s green wedge at night to allow journeys to continue late into the evening without disturbing Melburnians.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lyell Strambi said the plans would be open to public feedback until the middle of May.
“It’s a real personal question as to what the noise impact will be,” Mr Strambi said.
“There is no doubt that additional activity does bring more noise to the surrounds but it does really depend on where you live.”
Melburnians significantly affected by the changes may be able to seek compensation from the federal government if the plans are approved but no discussions are currently under way.
This could take the form of home upgrades to limit noise levels.
Mr Strambi said the new runway was vital to the future of the state and would effectively double the airport’s capacity.
“It would give (Victoria) an airport that could grow for the next 20 years,” he said.
Mr Strambi also backed air travel to regain its popularity once there was more certainty surrounding the pandemic and Covid regulations.
After public consultation, the airport must go through a lengthy approval process which includes being signed off by the federal government.
The third runway was initially planned to run east to west but this move was changed after detailed studies of Tullamarine’s weather and wind patterns.
A possible fourth runway is in the airport’s long term vision but will not be needed for some time.
Melbourne Airport Community Action Group head and Keilor resident Hannah Robertson said she had struggled with flight noise from the airport before the pandemic.
“It was all day during the day,” she said.
“For a total of nine hours it would be (noise) every two to three minutes.
“It (sounds) like having your neighbours mow their lawns.”
Ms Robertson said her home did not appear on noise maps but she could still hear planes overhead.
“All we can do is make sure that if this is done it is done in the full light of day,” she said.
“We’re not anti-aviation. What we find difficult is all the impacts are borne by a tiny portion of the community so the rest can benefit and we don’t think that’s equitable.
Ms Robertson also flagged she was consulting with similar groups in Australia and more action may be taken in the near future.
AIRPORT’S HI-TECH PLAN
Melbourne Airport’s masterplan has been updated to address hi-tech changes in aviation while also acknowledging the Tullamarine precinct will be altered through massive growth.
While plans for a third runway were the biggest consideration for the airport’s latest strategy, authorities on Monday also laid out a long-term vision for the transport hub.
A planned surge in passenger numbers has been delayed by the pandemic but the airport is still expecting as many as 83 million people to pass through by 2046.
Over the next decades, this will include an increase to more than 429,000 yearly aircraft movements and a near doubling of car trips to 270,000 daily.
Land has been put aside to prepare for the extra terminal buildings and the expansion of airlines setting up shop at Melbourne.
One of Tullamarine’s newest features, Terminal 4, could be expanded to accommodate surging passenger numbers while an additional terminal has been earmarked further south.
Connections between these buildings would be improved while travelators or other forms of transport could be used to ferry passengers around faster.
Authorities are also exploring new technologies to help manage future public health concerns, such as viral outbreaks.
This could include torchless options for passengers and alternative ways to check in and drop off bags prior to arriving at Tullamarine.
Emerging forms of aviation, such as drones and light electric helicopters have been considered.
“In future, transportation to and from the airport could be achieved through vertical takeoff and landing and urban mobility vehicles,” the masterplan says.
“Melbourne Airport will continue to work with government, regulators and local communities to help facilitate implementation of this type of transport.”
The document also says the airport will work with the commonwealth, state government and private sector to support hopes for a space tourism industry if it develops in Australia.
Helicopter trips to Tullamarine are uncommon, with just 14 trips to the airport in 2020 compared to more than 15,000 at Essendon Fields.
Melbourne Airport chief Lyell Strambi urged the community to provide feedback on the masterplan and present ideas for improvement.
“This airport dates back some 60 years, when it was a gleam in the planners’ eyes, and those people who planned the original Melbourne Airport had a wonderful vision,” he said.
“What the masterplan really seeks to do is to spell out for everybody the plans that are coming, the developments that are coming and the benefits of it.”
Land has also been put aside to allow for the construction of a new rail line and station connecting Melbourne’s network to the airport.
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