Melbourne Airport Standard Arrivals and Departures

Airservices will implement the following flight path changes at Melbourne Airport on 25 May 2017.

Runway 09 Standard Terminal Arrival Route changes

There will be changes to the Standard Terminal Arrival Route for aircraft arriving to Runway 09 from the west to allow implementation of the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) at Melbourne Airport.

This new satellite based navigation system with ground based augmentation provides increased likelihood of landing in poor weather and improved protection from terrain for the newer jet aircraft. GBAS provides similar benefits to an Instrument Landing System (ILS). An ILS is not installed on Runway 09.

An additional benefit of the change is that it has enabled Airservices, with the assistance of the Technical Noise and Environment Working Group, to move the existing flight path for arrivals from the west and south away from the Melton residential areas.

Residents in the Melton, Hopetoun Park, Long Forest, Mount Cottrell, Gisborne South, Toolern Vale and western Sunbury areas may notice differences to where aircraft are tracking.

These flight paths will be infrequently used as the winds rarely favour the use of Runway 09. The changes will be over sparsely populated areas.

Above: In green – flight path corridors prior to 25 May 2017 that will be removed.
In yellow – new flight path corridors after 25 May 2017.
In blue – flight path corridors that will not change.
Note that the flight path corridor over Melton residential areas has been removed post 25 May 2017.

Runway 27 Departures changes

Aircraft departing Melbourne Airport off Runway 27 to the west will continue slightly further west before turning north over sparsely populated areas that are currently overflown. Aircraft are expected to be at around 4000 feet before turning.

Above: In green – flight path corridors prior to 25 May 2017 that will be removed.

In yellow – new flight path corridors after 25 May 2017.

In blue – flight path corridors that will not change. Runway 27 departures will extend slightly further west before turning north or north-west.

Aircraft arriving to Runway 34 from the north (in yellow below) will appear slightly to the east of the previous flight path (shown in green) in the Sunbury area with no noticeable change to noise impacts. Arriving aircraft will be within the same range of altitudes over the Sunbury area, between 8,000 and 10,000 feet.

Above: In green – flight path corridors prior to 25 May 2017 that will be removed.
In yellow – new flight path corridors after 25 May 2017.
In blue – flight path corridors that will not change.

Runway 34 Departure changes

Aircraft departing Melbourne Airport off Runway 34 for southern destinations will continue further north before turning east and south over sparsely populated areas. Whilst aircraft will generally replicate the previous flight paths, there maybe be a small increase in numbers of aircraft flying along a more defined flight path as a result of this change. Aircraft will be less likely to spread over the Mickleham, Craigieburn and Kalkallo areas.

Above: In green – flight path corridors prior to 25 May 2017 that will be removed.

In yellow – new flight path corridors after 25 May 2017.

In blue – flight path corridors that will not change.