Airservices Australia announces final decision on Hobart Airport flight paths

After 18 months of consultation, Airservices Australia has revealed its final decision on flight paths in and out of Hobart Airport. Find out where you’ll be flying.

Airservices Australia chief executive Jason Harfield at the organisation's headquarters in Canberra.

FLIGHT paths proposed to pass east of Maria Island have been scrapped by Airservices Australia.

Incoming jets from East Coast cities will instead cross the Tasmanian coast near Binalong Bay and travel mostly over forested areas before touching down at Hobart Airport.

Airservices announced its final decision on its controversial flight path changes this afternoon, and said a number of public submissions were behind dropping the proposed Maria Island route.

The New Hobart Airport flight paths which are expected to be implemented in November. Picture: SUPPLIED

Airservices southern operations manager Steven Clarke said they believed they had achieved the best balanced outcome that would provide for the safest designs with the least effect on communities.

He said the process was one of the most extensive consultation programs Airservices had undertaken.

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Airservices is hoping to implement the new routes in early November.

Under the changes, planes arriving from East Coast destinations — including Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane — and those taking off towards the south, will fly west of Kellevie and Copping before turning between Dunalley and Connellys Marsh.

Federal Lyons MP Brian Mitchell is concerned about noise created by flight path changes at Hobart Airport. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Flights from Melbourne and Adelaide will track west of Oatlands before turning in the same spot.

A new GPS “smart path” will also see arriving aircraft fly over Connellys Marsh with departing planes to travel above Primrose Sands.

Airservices were forced to review the flight paths after they implemented new routes without consulting stakeholders in September 2017.

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Airservices have since admitted they did not engage the community well enough in 2017.

During the 18-month process, an independent consultant was commissioned to investigate the social impact and gather feedback on the proposed changes.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, and seen by the Mercury, show Airservices suggested changes to the wording of final reports last year, including deleting recommendations, some of which appear to be reflected in the published versions.

A complaint was also lodged with Airservices about the consultancy company.

Airservices refused to comment directly on the claims.

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“We considered feedback from different communities, airlines, regulatory authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the final airspace design for Hobart strikes the right balance between all interests while meeting the highest safety standards,” Mr Clarke said.

“This final design will help ensure that Hobart Airport and the general aviation sector in Cambridge can continue to grow, helping to support the Tasmanian economy.”

As part of the consultation process on the new designs, Airservices ran 23 face-to-face sessions late last year and considered 277 submissions from 92 individuals.

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