Ex-ombudsman floats ‘modest’ passenger levy to fund noise insulation for people under flight paths
Plane passengers would be slugged a special levy to fund noise insulation for people living under Brisbane’s controversial new flight paths, a Senate inquiry has heard. TAKE OUR POLL
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Plane passengers could be slugged a special levy to fund noise insulation for people living under Brisbane’s controversial new flight paths, a Senate inquiry has heard.
Former Aircraft Noise Ombudsman Ron Brent, now the Brisbane Airport Community Airspace Advisory Board chair, told the inquiry in Brisbane on Monday, April 15, that compensation had not worked well overseas.
He instead suggested a “modest’’ passenger levy as one possible mechanism to help those worst affected by new flight paths introduced when the city’s second runway opened in 2020.
He also said community calls to divert more planes over Moreton Bay would not fix the noise problem because of a huge forecasted increase in flights in coming years.
Nor would SODPROPS, a flight mode where planes on the two runways simultaneously took off and landed.
“To suggest they are the solution or would have a major impact is unrealistic,’’ he said.
“There have been gains at the margins... but marginal gains are an important part of the overall mix.’’
“Even with a curfew there will be impacts.’’
Mr Brent also told the inquiry he faced three years of “push back’’ because air navigation safety provider Airservices Australia was focused on safety and not noise reduction, but added that safety was a very important priority for it.
He also conceded Airservices had improved its focus on noise abatement towards the end of his term.
Under questioning from Senator Bridget McKenzie, he admitted federal Transport Minister Catherine King had never met with him despite personally appointing Mr Brent.
Senator McKenzie’s Coalition Senate colleague Matt Canavan also questioned why there had been no progress in diverting more flights over Moreton Bay since the second runway was built, despite claims it was the solution to Brisbane’s noise woes.
Senator Canavan pointed out several times that the public had been led to believe the second runway would lead to more flights over the Bay, but the percentage was still stuck at about 50 per cent.
Air Services, which did not give evidence, copped a whipping from senators Canavan and McKenzie and an admission from BAC head Gert-Jan De Graaff that Airservices was not operating flight paths as was intended at the time the new runway opened.
Senator Canavan at one point asked BAC future airspace strategy program manager, Tim Boyle, if it was true overnight flights would jump five-fold from the current 50 per night, by 2042.
Mr Boyle responded that the number “sounded about right’’ before Mr De Graaff asked to take the question on notice.
The Courier-Mail understands the senator’s figure was dramatically overstated and the forecast was 87 flights per night by 2042.
An Airservices spokesman said in a statement after the inquiry that a mode called Independent Parallel Runway Operations had not yet begun.
It was a high-capacity mode in which aircraft land and depart simultaneously on both runways in a staggered manner using one runway and then the other. It was not specifically designed for noise-sharing.
“Airservices intends to begin using this runway mode in 2025, which is when Brisbane Airport have advised they will have the capacity to cater for the increased arrival rate, following upgrades to their baggage handling facilities,’’ he said.
“Achieving greater use of over water operations is a key priority of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane and we have prioritised efforts to increase the use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS), under which planes arrive and take off over the bay.
“This includes making SODPROPS the priority runway mode 24/7 subject to weather and operating conditions.’’
Senator Matt Canavan said many of those present wanted answers after being promised there would be no extra noise impacts from the second runway.
He repeatedly asked about a curfew, including its impacts on regional airports.
He questioned why a curfew was being presented as an “all or nothing’’ option, rather than introducing more restrictions at night.
The CEO of the Transport and Tourism Forum, Margy Osmond, said caps and curfews at Sydney Airport had had a major impact on the national network, not just Sydney.
“They are affecting our international reputation for reliability,” she said.
“It would mean Brisbane’s contribution as a gateway to places such as Alice Springs and regional areas would be limited.
“The industry is amazingly focused on noise abatement. There are immediate solutions that could be made.”
That included taxiing with one engine, lowering reverse thrust on landing and reduced thrust on takeoff.”
Queensland Tourism and Industry Council general manager advocacy, Melanie Anderson, said any impact on Brisbane’s gateway status would harm the 206,000 jobs dependant on tourism.
She said there was no shortcut way to fix aircraft noise but it was vital air services were not disrupted ahead of the 2032 Games.
Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) spokesman, Prof Marcus Foth, said it was clear to him that Airservices had allowed airlines and BAC to maximise profits at the expense of residents.
He said the airport had attracted Australia Post, DHL and Amazon as part of its push to boost freight operations, which he said “largely operated at night’’ and was designed to offset declines in passenger services since lockdown.
“We are now dealing with an airport with a city attached to it, rather than a city with an airport attached to it,’’ he said.
Senator Canavan asked him about a trial to change flight paths to allow planes to approach the airport and take off more steeply, minimising noise impacts.
But Prof Foth said that had not happened because airlines wanted to minimise taxiing and other changes that increased fuel burn and caused delays.
“We have now experienced (noise from the second runway) for four years, in some communities even longer, and we have not seen any compromise, any bone being thrown to the community whatsoever,” he said.
BFPCA committee member Sean Foley told the inquiry he had monitored flight heights of “hundreds” of plane movements using the Flight Radar 24 app and found planes in fact took a level approach for about 30km from Forest Lake to the CBD, with flaps lowered.
QUT air pollution expert Prof Lidia Morawska told the packed hearing that new studies showed ultra fine particles emitted by cars, planes and other sources affected every organ in the body, not just the lungs.
She said the particles were hard to detect and monitors currently in use could not pick them up.
However, they cost only about $20,000 and only a few were needed in key areas.
“There are no health guidelines or standards (on ultra fine particles),” she said.
Prof Morawska, a co-chair on a 2021 WHO report into the particles and a Time Magazine person of the year recognised for her warnings at the beginning of Covid, said health impacts had been observed in studies at Los Angeles, Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam airports.
Qantas and Virgin pilots and technical experts wrapped up the day’s evidence.
Qantas said fleet renewal was the most effective way to reduce noise and “well meaning “ efforts to curb noise could cause reduced safety and increased fuel burn.
They said Qantas would take delivery of one new aircraft every three weeks, on average, for the next two years.
Virgin experts said aviation was essential for a large island nation but acknowledged the genuine impact of noise on some communities.
Virgin Australia actively took part in noise abatement measures including input to changes on tail wind speeds.
It had taken delivery of four new 737 jets, which were 40 per cent quieter than existing 737 models.
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