Gold Coast Airport to be denied all-weather use of instrument landing system

PLANES landing at Gold Coast Airport are likely to be restricted to using a new taxpayer-funded navigation system only in bad weather..

Flights into the Gold Coast will only be able to use the ILS in bad weather.

PLANES landing at Gold Coast Airport are likely to be restricted to using a new taxpayer-funded navigation system only in bad weather.

Negotiations outside a five-day hearing in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal over the $10 million Instrument Landing System are understood to be nearing an agreement which would see the airport agree not to use it unless necessary.

Construction of the system has been delayed since an initial hearing by the tribunal, after community groups appealed against the Federal Government’s approval of the system, aimed at preventing flights from being diverted to Brisbane.

The new flight path will see some aircraft which were previously approaching from the sea, fly inland over Broadbeach, Miami and Palm Beach.

The groups, Gold Coast Lifestyle Association and Tugun Cobakai Alliance, took on Queensland Airport Ltd, Air Services Australia and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester, saying the ILS would create noise pollution over homes and beaches.

Work on the Gold Coast Airport expansion site at Coolangatta.

Association president Mike Renison said the restricted approval would place conditions on the airport to only use the system during bad weather.

Mr Renison said they included a tool to help the community monitor use of the ILS once it was installed in about a year.

Mike Renison, president of Gold Coast Lifestyle Association. Photo: Regi Varghese

Gold Coast Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton said the outcome would not be known until the tribunal handed down its decision later this month.

A storm rolls in near the Gold Coast Airport.

“Should the AAT uphold the Minister’s approval decision, Gold Coast Airport remains committed to working with Airservices and our local community to ensure that procedures are in place to limit the use of the ILS in normal weather conditions,” she said.

Former Tourism Queensland boss Terry Jackman helped the community groups with their negotiations which were funded from donations made by residents.

Gold Coast Airport.

“There were hundreds of people involved,” Mr Jackman said.

“Why would you suddenly want planes flying over 60,000 people and our beaches?

“The vast majority of the people who donated gave $20 or $50.”