Final flight path design for implementation

We are pleased to share the final flight path design to support Ballina Byron Gateway Airport’s transition to controlled airspace. The final flight paths were determined following the second round of community engagement (11 November to 22 December 2024), with the preferred flight paths retained as the final design. Please see here for a summary of the final design outcome. We have also published a Preferred Design Feedback Summary and Assessment Report outlining the feedback received from the second round of engagement and our responses.

To see how community input shaped the final design, view the Community Engagement and Final Outcome Report, which also summarises all engagement activities since the project began.

New departure flight paths at Lismore Airport

As a result of industry feedback, new departure procedures will also be introduced at Lismore Airport from 11 June 2026 to enable suitably equipped aircraft to depart during inclement weather while staying clear of the new Ballina controlled airspace. We have assessed the potential impact of this change, but do not expect it to be noticeable to the community due to existing aircraft movements in this area and the limited expected use.

Further details are in Section 4.7.1 of the Final Outcome Report and in our environmental assessment.

Implementation

Controlled airspace around Ballina Airport will take effect on 11 June 2026. Air traffic control services will operate daily from 7am to 8pm local time. Closer to implementation, we will share details on how you can provide feedback on aircraft operations.

Once the changes take place, you will still notice some flights not following the new SIDs and STARs because:

  • some aircraft, such as training and recreational flights, do not use published arrival and departure flight paths and will continue to operate as they do now
  • in clear weather, some commercial aircraft may arrive or depart using visual procedures, where pilots navigate using landmarks rather than on published flight paths
  • at times, aircraft may depart in directions not covered by the new departure paths, either under air traffic control instructions or for traffic management reasons
  • aircraft may be taken off the published flight paths from time to time to avoid bad weather or to maintain safe separation from other aircraft.

Noise monitoring

Prior to the implementation of the new flight paths, we will install noise monitors to record current noise levels and gather data on the new operations.

Further information on noise monitoring, including the opportunity to suggest noise monitoring sites, will be released in coming months.

Feedback or enquiries

If you have feedback/ enquiries on the final flight path design or our reports, please email us at communityengagement@airservicesaustralia.com. Feedback on our reports is welcome up to 10 September 2025.