Noise Action Plan for Brisbane
The Noise Action Plan for Brisbane is Airservices Australia’s plan to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the communities of the wider Brisbane area. The plan was developed to address impacts resulting from changes to Brisbane’s airspace, following the introduction of Brisbane Airport's new parallel runway in July 2020.
The Noise Action Plan for Brisbane comprises four packages of work.
Airservices is actively engaging with industry stakeholders and the wider Brisbane community on aircraft noise, discussing potential flight path options and outlining key delivery milestones.
Community wellbeing support
Airservices Australia has extended our Employee Assistance Program to any community member who is feeling negatively affected by aircraft operations. This assistance program is a confidential service, provided at no cost to community members. The assistance program is provided by Converge International and is completely independent of Airservices Australia. Learn more here.
Engage Airservices
You don’t need to register to just review our flight path materials. However, you do need to register to provide us with your feedback. To register, click on the ‘Register’ button on the top right-hand side of the website. Learn more about registering here.
To receive Noise Action Plan for Brisbane updates, please enter your email address in the ‘Stay Informed’ tool on the right-hand side of the project page and click ‘Subscribe’ (if you're accessing this page on a mobile device, you may need to scroll down to find this tool). We provide alerts of program updates and engagement opportunities via email to subscribers and registered users.
The Noise Action Plan for Brisbane is Airservices Australia’s plan to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the communities of the wider Brisbane area. The plan was developed to address impacts resulting from changes to Brisbane’s airspace, following the introduction of Brisbane Airport's new parallel runway in July 2020.
The Noise Action Plan for Brisbane comprises four packages of work.
Airservices is actively engaging with industry stakeholders and the wider Brisbane community on aircraft noise, discussing potential flight path options and outlining key delivery milestones.
Community wellbeing support
Airservices Australia has extended our Employee Assistance Program to any community member who is feeling negatively affected by aircraft operations. This assistance program is a confidential service, provided at no cost to community members. The assistance program is provided by Converge International and is completely independent of Airservices Australia. Learn more here.
Engage Airservices
You don’t need to register to just review our flight path materials. However, you do need to register to provide us with your feedback. To register, click on the ‘Register’ button on the top right-hand side of the website. Learn more about registering here.
To receive Noise Action Plan for Brisbane updates, please enter your email address in the ‘Stay Informed’ tool on the right-hand side of the project page and click ‘Subscribe’ (if you're accessing this page on a mobile device, you may need to scroll down to find this tool). We provide alerts of program updates and engagement opportunities via email to subscribers and registered users.
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Update 3
April/May Engagement
The Brisbane community is invited to participate in drop-in sessions where we will present the first design options that we have developed in response to Package 2 - Maximise flights over the water and Package 3 - Reduce the frequency and concentration of flights over communities.
Drop-in session information:
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Wednesday, 26 April 2023 – Sherwood Uniting Church – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 706 Sherwood Rd, Sherwood QLD 4075
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Thursday, 27 April 2023 – Samford Community Hub – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 2204 Mount Samson Rd, Samford Valley QLD 4520
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Tuesday, 2 May 2023 – Redland Bay Community Hall – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 7 Weinam St, Redland Bay QLD 4165
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Wednesday, 3 May 2023 – Coopers Colonial Motel Acacia Ridge – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 1260 Beaudesert Rd, Acacia Ridge QLD 4116
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Thursday, 4 May 2023 – Kenmore Library – 2 PM to 7 PM
- Kenmore Village Shopping Centre, 9 Upper Brookfield Rd, Kenmore QLD 4069
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Saturday, 6 May 2023 – Amity Point Community Hall – 8 AM to 1 PM
- 18 Ballow Street, Amity Point QLD 4183
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Monday, 8 May 2023 – St Augustine's Church Hall – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 56 Racecourse Rd, Hamilton QLD 4007
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Tuesday, 9 May 2023 – Fitzy's Loganholme – 2 PM to 7 PM
- Cnr Bryants Rd & Pacific Hwy, Loganholme QLD 4129
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Wednesday, 10 May 2023 – Toombul Bowls Club – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 70 Flower St, Northgate QLD 4013
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Thursday, 11 May 2023 – Bulimba Bowlo – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 6 Quinn St, Balmoral QLD 4171
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Saturday, 13 May 2023 – Wynnum Community Centre – 8 AM to 1 PM
- 105 Florence St, Wynnum QLD 4178
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Monday, 15 May 2023 – Belmont Services Club – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 20 Narracott St, Carina QLD 4152
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Tuesday, 16 May 2023 – Deception Bay Community Hall (main hall) – 2 PM to 7 PM
- 2 Raymond Terrace, Deception Bay QLD 4508
Drop-in sessions are being held in/near suburbs that may experience a change if the options were implemented. You can attend at any time during the five-hour session. If you are attending a session we ask that you please register your attendance.
You can register to attend a drop-in session here.
We are preparing information on each of the proposed options which we will release the week commencing 17 April 2023 for consideration ahead of these drop-in sessions.
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Wednesday, 26 April 2023 – Sherwood Uniting Church – 2 PM to 7 PM
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Update 2
7-knot Tailwind Safety Case Update
Airservices Australia has received a response from the Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) in relation to the safety case submitted in April 2022 requesting exemption to the existing 5 knot tailwind limit for Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS) at Brisbane Airport. CASA has advised approval of this request has not been granted.
Airservices Australia acknowledges CASA’s decision not to approve the 7-knot tailwind exemption request and we are considering next steps in relation to this outcome, including if further safety work might be able to be completed which may enable re-assessment of the decision.
Airservices applied to CASA, our safety regulator, to increase the 5-knot tailwind limit to 7-knots in a bid to increase the number of aircraft movements over Moreton Bay.
We will provide a further update on next steps in the next two to three weeks.
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Update 1
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane – Quarterly Update
Welcome to the new Engage Airservices Noise Action Plan for Brisbane site. This site will be used to share information and updates as we deliver the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane. The Post Implementation Review (PIR) site will remain on our Engage Airservices hub as a source of PIR information and a record of activity. If you were registered on the PIR site there is no need to register again.
Status update
Since the start of the year, we have been focused on delivering our 2023 priority actions noted Section 7.1 of the PIR report. Our progress against each priority action is reported below:
Rec #
Description
Proposed completion
Progress
1.1
Commence consulting with the government-appointed independent airport community forum
Q1
Consultation commenced with the recently-appointed Brisbane Airport Community Airspace Advisory Board (AAB) Chair, Mr Ron Brent, with initial meeting on Airservices representation and contribution to the AAB held 22 March 2023.
1.1
Establish governance mechanisms including an assurance check by the Department
Q1
Project Management Office established 31 January 2023. Meeting weekly.
Technical Coordination Group established. First meeting held 27 March 2023.
Meeting monthly with Department while formal assurance mechanism finalised.
1.2
Community engagement on proposed communication approach for delivery of changes in response to the PIR, including confirming operating principles
Q1/Q2
Proposed Communications Approach under development. Community engagement planned April – May 2023.
1.4
Increase public reporting and transparency of operations, including SODPROPS use, NAPs application, aircraft tracking and altitude, noise information and complaints
Q1/Q2
Report under development. Planned for release April – May 2023. Community feedback on content to be sought April – May 2023.
2.1
2.2
Expand the use of SODPROPS mode by increasing capacity, enhancing decision-making criteria, and developing flight path changes for daytime operations
Q4
Design work being progressed. Community engagement planned October – November 2023.
2.3
Develop proposals to increase height and over water operations for SODPROPS departures to reduce impacts on bayside communities
Q2
Design options completed. Preparing for community engagement in April – May 2023.
2.4
Develop proposals to reduce the impact of overnight operations
Q1
Design options completed. Preparing for community engagement in April – May 2023.
3.1
Development of baseline model for pre-NPR and current NPR operations
Q1
Baseline model completed (static model). Preparing for community engagement in April – May 2023.
Interactive (electronic) model options being investigated.
3.1
Developing options to increase use of over water departures during the day
Q2
Design work being progressed. Community engagement planned July – August 2023.
3.1 Develop proposals to reduce the impact of concentrated flight paths to the west of the airport Q3 Design work being progressed. Community engagement planned October - November 2023. We also commenced a number of other actions relating to recommendation 1.1 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, including:
- Development of an options assessment framework
- Establishing an independent assurance process involving qualified third parties
- Identifying appropriately skilled and qualified consultants to support flight path and airspace design.
Upcoming Engagement
After the April school holidays, we will present the first design options we have developed in response to Package 2 - Maximise flights over the water and Package 3 - Reduce the frequency and concentration of flights over communities.
This will include options to reduce the impact of:
- Legacy runway over water operations to the south on bayside communities
- New runway over water operations to the west on the Redcliffe area
- Legacy runway over land operations to the north between 10pm and 6am
- Early morning turboprop operations.
This engagement will also share and seek feedback on:
- Baseline model development
- Noise Abatement Procedure reporting
- Communications Approach.
Finally, we will also be seeking community feedback on the noise improvement trials we have had in place over the past 12 months:
- Extended Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS)
- Restriction on intersection departures from the New Parallel Runway.
We plan to release information on all of the above during the week commencing 17 April 2023 and will continue engagement through to the end of May 2023. Drop-in engagement sessions and online discussions will commence after ANZAC day. Information on dates and locations will be shared following confirmation of venue bookings, with a minimum of two weeks’ notice.
We propose to alert communities to these activities through newspaper advertising, media articles, local Facebook groups, and information provided via community representative groups and elected representatives. We would welcome feedback on other ways we should alert communities to this engagement.
A schedule of all planned community engagement for 2023 can be viewed here.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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Package 3 - what the key metrics mean
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Package 3 engagement - general questions
- What is Phase 6 of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane?
- Why are changes being proposed now?
- How were communities involved in developing options?
- How can I find out whether the changes proposed will impact where I live?
- Will any areas experience new or increased noise?
- Does raising the altitude of aircraft make a difference to noise on the ground?
- Will the changes reduce the number of planes flying over my house?
- What happened to the offset concept? What investigation are you doing?
- What can you do for people who live in 'runway-aligned' suburbs?
- How can the community have their say?
- Why isn't there an engagement session in my suburb?
- Do I need to prepare for my meeting?
- What happens after I provide feedback?
- What do you mean by 'noise sharing'?
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Aviation and Brisbane's airspace in general
- Why can't all flights be routed over water all the time?
- What is SODPROPS? Why does it matter?
- Why can't you use SODPROPS all the time?
- The weather was fine last night, why didn't you do SODPROPS?
- Why is SODPROPS not being used more? A target of 5.3% was committed, but it is not being met.
- What are independent parallel runway operations?
- What does 'daytime' and 'night-time' indicate?
- Why can't planes all use the same runway? How do you choose which runway to use?
- What are "short approaches"?
- What are "long approaches"?
- What are noise abatement procedures?
- Why isn’t there a flight cap or curfew at Brisbane Airport?
- Where can I find out more about planes in my area?
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Noise Action Plan for Brisbane - general questions
Follow Project
Documents
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Phase 6 Engagement
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Phase 6 evolution of designs from Phase 5 concepts.pdf (579 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 6 Engagement Overview.pdf (1.13 MB) (pdf)
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1.1 Departures over land to north and west (594 KB) (pdf)
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1.2 Arrivals over land from north and west (918 KB) (pdf)
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2.1 Departures over land to south and east (985 KB) (pdf)
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2.2 Arrivals over water from south and east (1.06 MB) (pdf)
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3.1 Arrivals over land for independent parallel runway operations (553 KB) (pdf)
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3.2 Arrivals over water from north and west (905 KB) (pdf)
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4.1 Departures over land at night (1.08 MB) (pdf)
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Flight path usage statistics.pdf (376 KB) (pdf)
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Actual and modelled flight path heat maps - Package 3 (532 KB) (pdf)
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Arrivals over land day and night comparisons.pdf (854 KB) (pdf)
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Package 3 preliminary EIAs for proposals
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Package 3 Preliminary EIA Departures over land_V1.0_Redacted.pdf (2 MB) (pdf)
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Package 3 Preliminary EIA Arrivals over land_V1.0_Redacted.pdf (2.23 MB) (pdf)
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Package 3 Preliminary EIA Arrivals over water_V1.1_Redacted.pdf (1.69 MB) (pdf)
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Package 3 Preliminary EIA Turboprop departures over water to the north_V1.1_Redacted.pdf (1.61 MB) (pdf)
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Noise Action Plan for Brisbane (259 KB) (pdf)
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Noise Action Plan for Brisbane Overview (376 KB) (pdf)
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Phases and packages - visual overview (134 KB) (png)
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Communications Approach
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Phase 1 Engagement and outcomes
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Phase One Engagement Promotion (200 KB) (pdf)
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Alternative Daytime Over Water Departure Path - South (843 KB) (pdf)
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Alternative Night-time Over Water Departure Paths - South and West (2.02 MB) (pdf)
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Jet Aircraft Early Turn Opportunities - South, East, North-East (942 KB) (pdf)
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Replace New Runway Departure with Pre-existing Legacy Runway Departure - West (864 KB) (pdf)
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Turboprop Over Land Departures 5am to 6am - North (660 KB) (pdf)
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Night-time Over Land Departure Opportunities - North (780 KB) (pdf)
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Baseline Model Development (558 KB) (pdf)
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Draft Communications Approach (598 KB) (pdf)
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Noise Improvement Trial Assessment (618 KB) (pdf)
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Noise Action Plan for Brisbane_Noise Improvement Trials Assessment Report_FINAL.pdf (504 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 1 Options Assessment Report V2.pdf (877 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 1 Options Assessment Summary (513 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 2 Engagement and outcomes
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Phase 3 Engagement and outcomes
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Night time arrivals (all locations) (5.49 MB) (pdf)
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Night time arrivals (all locations) suburb overflown comparison (302 KB) (pdf)
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Reduce concentration west of airport (1.41 MB) (pdf)
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Reduced concentration west of airport suburbs overflown comparison.pdf (223 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 3 Options Assessment Report FINAL.pdf (709 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 4 Engagement and outcomes
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Alternative over-water departures (1.25 MB) (PDF)
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EIA_Over-water departures south (2.78 MB) (pdf)
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Additional segregated modes (1.01 MB) (pdf)
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SODPROPS Plan (542 KB) (pdf)
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Standard Instrument Departures for Archerfield Airport (1.58 MB) (pdf)
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Phase 4 Preferred Options Assessment Report (540 KB) (pdf)
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Phase 5 Engagement
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2018-2019 environmental assessments
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Proposed Airspace Change over Archerfield NPR_EA1316 v1.0_Redacted.pdf (2.96 MB) (pdf)
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Airspace Change over Moreton Bay for Brisbane Airport NPR_EA1318 v1_Redacted.pdf (4.07 MB) (pdf)
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Airspace Change over Redcliffe_EA1319 v1.1_Redacted.pdf (2.24 MB) (pdf)
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Airspace Change over Deception Bay_EA1320 v1.1_Redacted.pdf (2.28 MB) (pdf)
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Proposed Changes to Routes Associated with Brisbane NPR_EA1340 v1.1_Redacted.pdf (7.79 MB) (pdf)
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Proposed SIDs and STARs (outside the EIS boundary) Brisbane NPR_EA_1353_v1.0 _Redacted.pdf (4.3 MB) (pdf)
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Brisbane NPR SIDs STARs EA1353 Addendum_v1_signed_Redacted.pdf (1.52 MB) (pdf)
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Scope of consultancies supporting delivery of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane (206 KB) (pdf)
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Reference documentation
Timeline
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Engagement phase 1
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane has finished this stageApril - May 2023
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Engagement phase 2
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane has finished this stageJuly - September 2023
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Engagement phase 3
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane has finished this stageOctober - December 2023
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Engagement phase 4
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane has finished this stageMay - July 2024
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Engagement Phase 5
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane has finished this stageAugust - September 2024
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Engagement Phase 6
Noise Action Plan for Brisbane is currently at this stageJuly - August 2025
Detailed design of preferred options progressed from Phase 5
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Package 4
this is an upcoming stage for Noise Action Plan for BrisbaneLate 2025
- Optimise the performance of the wider Brisbane airspace system.