Western Sydney Airport: Is fuel dumping a concern?

Should residents of western Sydney suburbs be concerned about the potential dumping of jet fuel?

Popular short-haul passenger aircraft such as the Boeing 737 (pictured) and the Airbus A320 do not have fuel dumping capabilities.

• Jordan Springs: Residents fear their homes could be sinking
• NSW bushfires: James Tamou fights fire, Penrith Panthers organise fundraiser

An aviation expert has quelled any potential concerns over the dumping of jet fuel over western Sydney suburbs once the new Western Sydney Airport opens in 2026.

Lecturer of Aerospace Design at the University of NSW, Sonya Brown, said fuel dumping is only occasionally required in emergency landing situations.

“An emergency landing may be required when an aircraft can’t safely reach its destination,” Ms Brown said.

“This could be due to an engine issue, system failure, fuel leak, or some other kind of mechanical issue.

“Once pilots have determined they have an emergency and decided to turn around, their plane will likely be higher than the maximum landing weight.”

An aircraft in the middle of fuel dumping. Picture: Julie Tullberg

Dr Brown said there were generally three options available to pilots if their plane experiences an emergency.

“Most aircraft will start doing laps to burn fuel,” she said.

“Typical passenger aircraft used in Australia, such as Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, don’t have the ability to dump fuel.

“If that isn’t possible, an overweight landing is allowed in an emergency situation.

“The third option is fuel dumping, and that’s generally used on larger aircraft such as Airbus A380s and A350s, and Boeing 747s or 777s.

“We’re talking about less than one in 100,000 flights in Australia, which equates to about eight to nine flights a year.”

Big aircraft such as the Airbus A380 (pictured) have fuel dumping capabilities, but rarely use them.

Dr Brown said if the aircraft was forced to dump fuel, less than one per cent of the fuel would reach the ground.

“Even in the worst kinds of emergency situations, your aircraft will be certified to climb to at least 6000 feet,” she said.

“Air traffic control will direct the aircraft over a non-populated area, and I’d expect they would send it over the ocean.

“Fuel dumping is done in a stream that dissipates, but even in an aircraft that is overweight, more than 99 per cent of fuel will effectively vaporise in the air and never reach the ground.

“I don’t think homeowners have any concerns over the potential of jet fuel from dumping, they will have a lot more impacted pollution from the cars driving on the streets in their area.”