Details of five new flight paths over Logan, Brisbane’s north released for comment

The national airways safety provider has released details of five new proposed flight paths over Brisbane’s north and south.

The national airways safety provider has released details of five new proposed flight path “concepts’’ over Brisbane’s north and south of the city.

Airservices Australia is now inviting public comment on the plan, aimed at better sharing the burden of noise from the city’s new runway.

But a community lobby group which has been fighting for curfews, flight caps and other measures, dismissed it as the latest “engagement theatre’’ by Airservices Australia and said no meaningful action had been taken on noise controls since the new runway opened four years ago.

The complex options included departures over land to the west and northwest from the new runway, plus the legacy (old) runway at night.

This would cut the number of flights and noise in parts of Brisbane’s inner-west and outer northwest. Suburbs affected might include Samford Village, The Gap, Ashgrove, Chermside, Albany Creek, Tennyson, West End, Kangaroo Point. and suburbs in Moreton Bay City Council.

A second proposal for arrivals over land from the north and west, via the new runway, would cut the frequency and concentration of flights over Brisbane outer northwest and Moreton Bay.

Suburbs affected might include Upper Brookfield to Bellbowrie, Forest Lake, Wacol, Sunnybank, Carindale.

A third proposal fordepartures over land to the south and east, from the legacy runway, would limit the frequency and concentration of flights over Brisbane’s southeast including the Wynnum, Capalaba and Sunnybank areas and suburbs in the Redland and Logan council areas.

Arrivals (orange) and departures (pink) of five proposed new routes. Image: Airservices Australia

Under a fourth change, there would be simultaneous arrivals using both runways which would benefit residents in parts of Brisbane, Logan and Moreton, possibly including Bribie Island, Springfield, Calamvale, Sunnybank.

Turboprop plane arrivals from the north would also be changed to reduce their frequency and concentration over Brisbane’s northeast and parts of Moreton, possibly including Redcliffe, Caboolture, Deception Bay and Beachmere.

Registration for information sessions and full details on each of the five flight path options can be found at this link.

“We have received feedback from community members across the wider Brisbane area,’’ Airservices Australia said.

“While some community members agree that noise sharing is a fair solution to managing aircraft noise, we have also heard that noise sharing is not the preferred option for many residents.

“However, investigating options to share noise is a key (part) of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane to reduce the impacts of aircraft noise for thousands of residents, within the constraints of Brisbane’s current airspace design.

Airservices letterboxed thousands of homes last week alerting residents to the upcoming changes and inviting public comment by September 15.

The five new proposals generated by consultants Trax were “initial concepts’’ rather than specific flight path options, as had been the case with previous tweaks to the city’s air routes.

Airservices said it was therefore seeking feedback at the “conceptual level’’.

“As such, we have not produced detailed information of population overflown or modelled altitudes and noise contours,’’ it said.

“We have also not produced the scalable maps that we have provided in previous phases of engagement.’’

Brisbane residents rallying outside Brisbane Airport Corporation. Picture: Tara Croser

But it was working with Trax to develop scalable maps showing current frequency and concentration of flights, which residents could zoom in for their area.

A Brisbane Airport corporation spokesman said: “Flight paths are designed by Airservices Australia, however Brisbane Airport is supportive of changes that improve noise outcomes for the local community”.

Lobby group Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance has consistently said it opposed noise sharing, calling it a “divide and conquer’’ tactic.

Zoe Earl, with Sunny Earl, 4, at Colmslie Recreation Reserve. The area is one of the hardest hit by plane noise but Airservices says proposed new flight paths could share the burden. Picture: Josh Woning

BFPCA and the Greens have both campaigned relentlessly on a 10pm to 6am curfew, like in Sydney and other some Australian airports, as well as a cap on flight numbers which also was common in major cities overseas.

BFPCA chair Professor Marcus Foth described the announcement as “engagement theatre” which only “prolonged community suffering’’.

His group rejected noise sharing as the only solution and instead wanted genuine best practice noise abatement measures such as those put in place at London City Airport.

“Noise sharing should only be considered after all other avenues for genuine noise reduction have been exhausted,’’ he said.

“This includes implementing a curfew, capping flights, and prioritising over-water operations — measures already in place at other Australian airports like Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne/Essendon and the Gold Coast.

BFPCA chair Marcus Foth says his group does not support noise sharing. Picture: Tara Croser

“The first priority must be noise avoidance and minimisation at the source, not simply redistributing the problem.

“It’s time for a reasonable curfew and flight cap at Brisbane airport so all communities they are harming get relief, just like the community protections in place in Sydney.”

He also said the latest “concept’’ document was so complex it potentially would cause the general public to disengage from the feedback process.

Airservices does not control curfews or flight caps, which is a federal infrastructure department issue.

But it said it understood many residents wanted all flights over Moreton Bay.

“However, it is not physically possible for all flights to arrive and depart over the water,’’ it said.

“Aircraft must take off and land into the wind. This means that approximately half of all flights will be over the water while the other half will be over land.

BFPCA has repeatedly claimed both the airport corporation and Airservices had misled people into thinking the new runway would allow flights over the bay.