Flights subsidy furore at Brisbane Airport as aircraft noise takes off

The state government is under fire over revelations it is subsidising dozens of noisy overnight flights into and out of Brisbane Airport, including one operated by an airline that reported a massive half-year profit last year.

The state government is under fire after revelations it is subsidising dozens of late night and early morning flights into and out of Brisbane Airport, contributing to aircraft noise.

New data to a senate inquiry has revealed the government is helping bankroll up to 50 flights a week between 10pm and 6am via its $200m Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.

The subsidised flights include a daily 1.55am service to Dubai by Emirates, the United Arab Emirates-owned airline which posted a record $A4.1bn half-year profit last November.

The government set up the aviation war chest in partnership with Queensland’s major airports in 2022 to help the state recover from Covid, providing kickbacks to airlines to encourage extra flights.

Then-acting premier Steven Miles at an announcement for Emirates flights at Brisbane International Airport in early 2023. Picture: Richard Walker

Almost 30 services have been added with the help of the fund, which is claimed to have delivered an extra two million inbound seats and $1.82bn in overnight visitor spending.

Tourism and Events Queensland was forced to reveal the extent of the subsidised flights to the Senate Inquiry into the Impact and Mitigation of Aircraft Noise following a question on notice from the Greens, who have been calling for a 10pm-6am curfew and flight cap at Brisbane Airport.

Airport bosses have slammed the proposal, saying it would cost Queensland’s economy more than $500m and 5000 jobs by 2025-26, and say more than 60 per cent of those flights operated over Moreton Bay, reducing the impact on Brisbane communities.

Premier Steven Miles last year angered many residents living under the flight path when he blasted “inner-city elites” for pushing for the curfew, saying the airport was “just so critical to our region’s economic prosperity”.

Greens federal MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown said it was “astounding” that the government was using taxpayer funds during the cost-of-living crisis “to subsidise flights operated by highly profitable airlines that frequently disturb the sleep of Brisbane residents”.

“As the senate inquiry has heard, we know there are mountains of evidence about the serious long-term health effects of interrupted sleep,” she said.

“This is yet another example of the aviation industry enjoying special treatment from the government, while ... residents suffer from excessive noise.”

Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance chairman Marcus Foth accused the government of “blatant hypocrisy” for labelling aviation a federal issue while it pumped tens of millions of dollars into flight subsidies, and while its Queensland Investment Corporation was the largest shareholder in Brisbane Airport.

“When Steven Miles mocked us as ‘inner-city elites’ people went crazy, they went ballistic, because this aircraft noise travels all the way to Samford Valley, to Upper Brookfield, to the Redcliffe Peninsula, Bribie Island and Wellington Point,” he said.

Education Minister Di Farmer, who lives under the flight path in her electorate of Bulimba, on Sunday acknowledged the issue of aircraft noise was a “significant issue” for people in her community.

But Ms Farmer also defended the aviation fund, saying it was aimed at bringing international visitors back to Queensland in the aftermath of Covid-19, which had hit the tourism industry hard.

“In those areas where aircraft noise is an issue, we continue to advocate to Airservices Australia, the federal authorities and the federal government to make sure the effects of aircraft noise are mitigated,” she said.

Originally published as Flights subsidy furore at Brisbane Airport as aircraft noise takes off