Noise Action Plan for Brisbane

Further to our notification of 30 October 2024, Airservices is pleased to confirm that the new over-water departure paths from the legacy runway commenced operation on 28 November 2024. This follows two rounds of engagement, in April 2023 and May 2024, with the final designs reflecting feedback received from community and industry stakeholders.

Further information about the new flight paths can be found in our previous post. Below are answers to some common questions we’ve recently received about these changes.

What is SODPROPS?

Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS) is the operational mode where both arrivals and departures take place over water at the same time. It is a complex operational mode, available only during periods of low traffic and when specific weather-related operating conditions are met.

You can learn more about these conditions and explore the SODPROPS flight paths here.

Do these new departure paths only apply during SODPROPS?

They apply to both SODPROPS and standard over-water departures at all times of day with the exception of one flight path. The path to the north-east, via waypoint BIXAD, is only changing for SODPROPS mode.

You can see the flight paths for all operating conditions in the maps here.

Why can’t all flights be over Moreton Bay?

We understand that many community members consider that all flights should be over the waters of Moreton Bay. However, it is not possible for all flights to arrive and depart over the water.

Aircraft operate most safely when flying into the wind on both take-off and landing. They can take a small amount of tailwind (wind blowing from behind the aircraft) but this is limited by international safety standards.

Additionally, the small amount of airspace over the waters of Moreton Bay cannot safely cater for the volume of aircraft movements during busier periods.

As a result, aircraft do need to fly over land and communities.

Brisbane Airport’s runways are positioned to enable approximately 50 per cent of all flights to be over water in standard operations. Aircraft arrive over water and depart over land when there is a southerly wind, and arrive over land and depart over water when there is a northerly wind. SODPROPS is used when traffic and weather conditions allow, increasing the percentage of flights going over water.

Why can’t departures continue further over the ocean?

We have received some suggestions that after taking off over the water, departing aircraft should continue to track between Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island and make their way further south or north before crossing land again. This is not currently possible for several reasons:

• the Australian Defence Force has extensive restricted areas off the coast that civil aircraft can’t enter. These prevent the use of airspace further east and also restrict options both north and south of Brisbane.
• longer flight paths increase aircraft track miles and emissions. Any increase in track miles is one of the considerations to be balanced in determining options.
• there are specific points at which aircraft must join the broader network of flight paths (highways in the sky) to travel to their intended destination. These would need to be redesigned to facilitate joining from new points over the ocean. Without these points, it would be similar to a car trying to join a motorway without an on-ramp.

Welcome to the seventh quarterly update on the progress of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane.

During the third quarter of 2024, we delivered our fifth round of engagement, focusing on concepts to reduce the concentration and frequency of overflight on the most affected communities. These concepts were developed by our airspace design consultants, Trax International. We received more than 2000 pieces of feedback – in person, online, by email and letter.

Trax is working through the feedback to support identification of preferred flight path change options. While we were hoping to have preferred options out for community review before the end of the year, the need to give full and proper regard to all submissions means this engagement will now commence in early 2025.

In the meantime, we have reviewed all feedback on Phase 4 proposals and have made some final adjustments to the preferred options for Alternative over-water departures in response to community feedback. Further information on the implementation of these changes will be shared later this week.

We also expanded the priority hours for the use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS) mode – the mode where both arrivals and departures occur over water – to operate over weekend daytime hours and to commence earlier in the evening, from 9pm, when conditions are suitable.

Upcoming focus

In November, we will implement several changes that will enhance our ability to operate in SODPROPS mode. This includes implementing new flight paths and procedures. We will be releasing more information on these changes to ensure everyone knows what the changes will mean and when they will commence.

Over the next quarter we will release improvements to reporting on the use of SODPROPS mode. We’ve made these changes in response to community feedback, including requests for data on flight numbers as well as hours of operation.

We will also complete our evaluation of the trial we commenced on 13 December 2023 where non-jet departures are turned early from the legacy runway (from 5-6am) to avoid overflight of communities. This evaluation will consider:

• number of departures turned early vs those that were not
• reasons preventing the early turn (to determine if mitigations are possible)
• noise outcomes for locations generally subject to these operations and from noise monitors located near the early turn path
• community and industry feedback.

We are completing assessment reports for Phase 3 and Phase 4 engagement and are aiming to release these before the end of the year.

Trax is continuing work on Package 4, which aims to optimise the performance of the wider Brisbane airspace system. Further information will be shared on the outcomes of this work in 2025.

Airservices Australia is pleased to release concepts for flight path changes that have been developed by Trax International for further engagement as part of Package 3 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane. These are concepts for reducing frequency and concentration of aircraft over some communities that experience the highest volumes of air traffic.

Package 3 concepts are essentially about sharing aircraft noise. We have received feedback from community members across the wider Brisbane area and while some community members agree that noise sharing is a fair solution to managing aircraft noise, we have also heard that noise-sharing is not the preferred option for many residents. However, investigating options to share noise is a key deliverable of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane to reduce the impacts of aircraft noise for thousands of residents, within the constraints of Brisbane’s current airspace design.

Trax have produced five sets of concepts for flight path changes. We invite you to review them and let us know your thoughts on their potential effectiveness, and what local factors we should also consider when developing detailed flight paths based on these concepts.

For those of you who have engaged with us over previous phases, you will notice some changes. This is the first phase of engagement led by Trax, and the first time we’ve addressed Package 3 as a whole.

Trax have provided initial concepts rather than specific flight path options and we’re seeking feedback at that conceptual level. As such, we have not produced detailed information of population overflown or modelled altitudes and noise contours. We have also not produced the scalable maps that we have provided in previous phases of engagement; again, because we would like the conversation to be about the concepts. Some of you will have seen the ‘heat map’ from Trax that shows where the greatest frequency and concentration of air traffic is. We are working to produce that as a scalable map so that community members can search for their location.

Airservices Australia is committed to reducing the impact of aircraft noise over Brisbane communities. We acknowledge the feedback we have received in previous phases of engagement, in some cases calling for actions that are outside the scope of our role.

We understand that many community members consider that all flights should be over the waters of Moreton Bay. However, it is not physically possible for all flights to arrive and depart over the water. Aircraft must take off and land into the wind; this means that approximately half of all flights will be over the water while the other half will be over land. As such, we cannot remove all aircraft operations from all communities.

Feedback closes on Sunday 15 September 2024.

Package 3 materials

Visit the Brisbane Baseline Model to review operational information from 2019 (before the new runway), 2022 and 2023 (the two most recent full years of data)

Package 3 Overview

This summary document outlines the focus for Package 3, definitions of frequently used terms, and how to submit feedback.

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

Set 1: Departures over land to the west and northwest from the new runway (and the legacy runway at night)

Purpose: To reduce the frequency and concentration of departing flights over communities aligned with the new runway, and under these departure paths in Brisbane’s inner west and outer north-west (including suburbs within Moreton Bay City Council)

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

Set 2: Arrivals over land from the north and west via the new runway

Purpose: To reduce the frequency and concentration of arriving flights over communities in Brisbane’s outer north-west (including suburbs within Moreton Bay City Council)

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

Set 3: Departures over land to the south and east from the legacy runway

Purpose: To reduce the frequency and concentration of departing flights over communities in Brisbane’s south-east (including suburbs within Redland City Council and Logan City Council)

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

Set 4: Independent Parallel Runway Operations

Purpose: To facilitate the introduction of simultaneous arrivals using both runways (including suburbs within Brisbane City Council, Logan City Council and Moreton Bay City Council).

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

Set 5: Non-jet (turboprop) arrivals from the north

Purpose: To reduce the frequency and concentration of non-jet flights over communities in Brisbane’s north-east (including suburbs within Moreton Bay City Council)

Download information sheet – Provide feedback

We are pleased to announce the details of the next phase of engagement for the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane. This phase will focus on multiple concepts that have been developed by specialist flight path and airspace design consultancy, Trax International. They have developed five sets of change proposals for different aircraft operations across Greater Brisbane, each containing multiple concepts for flight path changes. These concepts consider both departure and arrival flight paths to provide a full appreciation of the potential operations over different communities.

Given the complexity and level of detail in these change concepts, the upcoming engagement sessions will differ from our previous drop-in sessions.

During this phase, community members can book an appointment online and then join us in person for a meeting with the flight path designers to discuss the options of most interest. Through these appointments you can gain insights into the proposals, ask specific questions, and further understand what the flight path concepts might mean for your local area.

These pre-booked meetings will be held at central and easily accessible locations and will enable our engagement team to record your detailed feedback on each of the concepts, to further inform Trax International's work in refining these to preferred flight path designs later this year.

This change in format is important for this phase of engagement, as drop-in sessions do not allow for this level of detail to be provided nor for specific feedback to be captured on the various options, which will inform decisions on what should be progressed.

There will also be two types of online sessions available for community members who are unable to attend in person or would like additional information. Five online sessions will present the options, collect feedback and answer questions, and towards the end of the engagement period there will be two online sessions to just answer questions.

Detailed information on proposals including maps, videos and information sheets will be released next week.

Registration for all sessions is via Humanitix. This is a ticketing platform which will enable you to save reminders or change session dates if you wish and does not require registration to Engage Airservices.

In-person meetings

A list of appointment times is available for each date, and can be booked for individuals, couples or small family groups. Registration for these sessions is required. If you are unable to register through our online booking platform, you can email us at communityengagement@airservicesaustralia.com.

Appointments are for 20 minutes. If your preferred date is booked out, please register for the waitlist for that day, and we’ll let you know if a time becomes available (eg through a cancellation). Please go to Humanitix to select a date, location and timeslot.

Online presentations

We are hosting five online sessions to provide details of these proposals and address general questions. You might like to consider attending one of these sessions for additional information, even if you are able to join us in person. Log-in details for online sessions will be sent to registered participants within approximately 24 hours of each session. You can register via Humanitix.

Online Q&A sessions

You may have more questions before you submit your feedback, so we’re offering two online Question & Answer sessions before engagement closes. There will be no formal presentation, just time for Q&A. Log-in details for these sessions will be sent to registered participants approximately a week ahead of each session, with an invitation to submit questions in advance. You can register via Humanitix.

Welcome to the sixth quarterly update on the progress of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane.

During the second quarter of 2024, we progressed the outstanding actions from Package 1 and Package 2 of the program and delivered our fourth round of community engagement. We’ve also worked closely with flight path and airspace design consultants, Trax International, who have been preparing for our next phase of community engagement to progress Package 3 actions.

Actions completed this quarter

Recommendation 1.4(g) and 2.3(f): Increase public reporting and transparency of operations – we have released Noise Abatement Procedure (NAP) reports including use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS). You can read more about these reports in our earlier post. While this action is now complete, we will continue to improve these reports as well as the WebTrak and Aircraft in your Neighbourhood sites.

Recommendation 1.4(h): Introduce measures to improve NAP compliance – the reporting introduced above will support monitoring of NAPs so we can identify ways to further improve their application.

Recommendation 2.1(a): Extend the use of SODPROPS mode with a focus on weekday evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings when weather conditions and traffic levels permit – we have expanded SODPROPS priority times to enable use on weekday evenings (from 9pm) and weekends during daytime hours (12 noon on Saturday through to 4pm on Sundays), where conditions permit. It is expected that use of this mode during daytime hours may be limited initially as the new procedures are embedded into our regular operations. We will continue to implement actions to increase the use of this mode over time.

Recommendation 2.1(c): Review SODPROPS’ daytime operational plan and implement design enhancements to increase use of this mode during daytime hours – we completed and engaged with communities on the actions to enable SODPROPS to become our priority mode 24/7 from November this year, subject to suitable operating conditions.

Recommendation 2.3(d): Examine opportunities to improve over-water departure paths that fly over communities after they cross the coastline to increase height, maintain over water for longer, or travel further east – we completed and engaged on preferred designs to keep aircraft over water for longer, to gain altitude prior to crossing the coastline and to reduce the impact of aircraft operations on communities south of Brisbane Airport.

Upcoming focus

Over the next quarter our focus will be on engaging communities on the Package 3 actions that are being progressed by Trax International. Community engagement is planned from 19 August to 15 September 2024, then again in November 2024.

Airservices Australia is pleased to announce the fifth round of engagement for the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane will commence on 19 August 2024 and will focus on Package 3 of the plan.

Airservices, through our flight path design consultants Trax International, is developing flight path options to reduce the frequency and concentration of aircraft flying over some of Brisbane’s more populated suburbs. We will continue working with the wider Brisbane community to improve how our airspace operates.

We are seeking feedback on options for aircraft that:

• depart over land to the north and west from the new runway (and the legacy runway at night)
• arrive over land from the north and west to the new runway (and the legacy runway at night)
• depart over land to the south and east from the legacy runway.

Additionally, we have initial options to:

• reduce the impact of non-jet (turboprop) arrivals and departures to the north
• facilitate independent parallel runway operations.

Further information, including dates for the online and in-person community sessions will be released in the coming weeks.

Improved operational reporting now available

During the Post Implementation Review (PIR) of flight paths for Brisbane Airport’s new parallel runway, Airservices Australia received feedback from the community noting a desire for greater transparency and reporting of aircraft operations. This included:

• adherence to Noise Abatement Procedures (NAPs)

• use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS)

• aircraft tracking and altitude

• noise information

• complaints and our responses to these.

In response, in Phase 2 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, Airservices proposed a range of increased reporting measures. Community feedback on these proposals has helped inform the development of the reports that we are now sharing:

• Brisbane Airport Noise Abatement Procedure reporting:
  • SODPROPS Usage Report
  • Preferred Runways Operations Report
  • Preferred Flight Paths (Arrivals) Report
  • Preferred Flight Paths (Departures) Report
• Noise Complaints and Information Service Complainant Report

We have also included an overview of NAPs to support community review and understanding of the new reports.

View the reports on Aircraft in your Neighbourhood. Check that you have nominated a Brisbane location if you don't see the new NAPs reporting tab in the left menu bar.

Trial of non-jet departures over land from the legacy runway

As a result of engagement in Phase 1 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, we implemented the following changes to departures of non-jets (turboprop and piston engine planes) from the legacy runway:

1. Removal of the Noise Abatement Procedure (NAP) that allowed use of the new runway for non-jet aircraft departures between 5am and 6am (i.e. turboprop departures prior to 6am to be managed via the legacy runway when in SODPROPS mode or when wind is blowing from the south)
2. Introduction of a new NAP, to be trialled for six months, which requires all non-jet departures from the legacy runway over land to turn left immediately after take-off (at runway end and 600ft in altitude) and track back over the airport/industrial land to continue their climb over water.

Feedback has been open since the trial commenced and will close on 30 July. We will then commence an evaluation to determine if this NAP should become a permanent operation, be modified, or if it should cease. We will continue to operate the procedure until completion of the evaluation. You’re welcome to provide further feedback on the trial here (until 30 July).

Trax International is an international airspace design and traffic management consultancy contracted by Airservices Australia to provide the additional capacity and independent expertise required to deliver Packages 3 and 4 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane.

Trax will be leading this work across 2024 and 2025.

Package 3 targets options for noise sharing. For example, reducing the frequency and concentration of aircraft flying over areas that are routinely affected by both arrivals and departures. The design options developed for engagement in Package 3 concentrate on smaller modifications to flight paths that can be implemented as part of the existing Brisbane airspace design. This work will incorporate changes that have been part of Airservices' previous phases of engagement.

Package 4 considers larger flight path changes beyond the constraints of the existing Brisbane airspace design. For example, Package 4 will include engagement on options for the use of different runway modes that may offer opportunities for noise relief and options for respite routes that could be used to alternate when flight paths are used.

Next phase of engagement

The first round of community engagement for Package 3 will run from 19 August to 15 September 2024, and will present a comprehensive list of the flight path design options we have developed for Package 3. We will seek community feedback on the local circumstances that should be considered when refining the long list of options into preferred designs.

A second round of engagement will occur from mid-November to early December 2024 to gather feedback on the preferred options that are identified and progressed from the first round of Trax engagement.

Airservices will continue to work on progressing outcomes from Package 2 at the same time.

July 2024 webinar

Prior to the first round of Package 3 engagement the Trax team will conduct a general introductory webinar to cover:

• the approach Trax is following to develop, assess and engage on the flight path design options, recognising the interdependencies between many of the individual Noise Action Plan for Brisbane deliverables
• the process and timelines for community engagement for Packages 3 and 4, which are planned for August to September 2024, November to December 2024, March to April 2025 and June to July 2025.

The webinar will be held on three different dates in July and information will be available on Engage Airservices for those who can’t attend a session. Log-in details for these sessions will be emailed to registered participants within 24 hours of each webinar. Please register here to join.

Improved reporting update - WebTrak

We are pleased to announce further improvements to WebTrak, our public aircraft tracking and noise reporting tool.

During Phase 2, we engaged community on increasing our operational reporting to improve the transparency and quality of information that we provide.

WebTrak originally had a 40-minute delay in providing aircraft movement and noise information. This was the time required for data captured at noise monitoring terminals to upload to the system. In 2023, Airservices Australia worked with our supplier to reduce the time delay to 15 minutes. Through our continued efforts, we have now achieved a 3-minute delay on Brisbane’s WebTrak site.

A rainfall layer has also been added to the Brisbane WebTrak site. The layer helps provide visibility to the community of weather conditions that may change operations in the Brisbane airspace.

To enable the rainfall layer in WebTrak, click on ‘Display’ on the left-hand side of the screen, then check the box for the layer to turn on.

Airservices will continue to introduce further improvements to reporting.

Access WebTrak here.

Over-water departure options – environmental assessment

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been conducted on the preferred options for Alternative Over-water Departures. EIAs are an internal process conducted to determine next steps as part of proposed flight path changes. While Airservices has not previously released EIA documentation, we are now doing so in response to community feedback requesting greater transparency. This EIA can be downloaded as a PDF here.

Please note, this is a technical document produced to meet legislative requirements. The outcome of this assessment is that referral to the Minister for the Environment is not required. More information on this statutory process is available through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Details of the preferred options, and other topics open for feedback until 14 July 2024, are available here.

Packages 3 with Trax International

International air traffic management consultancy Trax, who were engaged to deliver Packages 3 and 4 of the program, will lead the next round of community engagement. The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback on potential flight path design options that aim to reduce the frequency and concentration of flights over communities. Engagement is scheduled to take place from 19 August to 15 September 2024.

Prior to the first round of community engagement, the Trax team will be conducting three general introductory webinars in July. More information on these sessions will be released shortly, along with registration details.

Short term noise monitoring reports

Completion reports are now available for short term noise monitors deployed by Envirosuite on behalf of Airservices. Please note, these reports are being released, in the interests of transparency, as final documents produced by Envirosuite, not Airservices. Some terms may differ from common use, so please refer to the glossary provided at the start of each report.

More information and short term completion reports for Samford, Brookfield and Upper Brookfield are available for download.

Access monthly reporting from our 13 long term noise monitors.

Information and reporting for noise monitoring undertaken by Brisbane Airport Corporation is available here.