Sunshine Coast Airport Airspace Changes Runway 13/31

We have completed our initial review of the community submissions for suggested flight path changes and noise abatement procedures. Thank you again to all community members who provided a submission.

This initial review has identified the suggestions that are safe and compliant with aviation regulations. We have now commenced the next part of the review which aims to identify the extent of potential improvement or impact each options might result in, in keeping with the assessment criteria provided in the Terms of Reference.

Based on the number of options under review, we anticipate providing a report to the community in July/August 2022. This will be followed by a community meeting to talk through the report findings and next steps, which will include the opportunity to provide feedback on the report. The report will also contain a proposed timeline for implementation of the recommended improvements.

We appreciate the community’s patience while we assess all of the suggestions put forward and we thank them for the effort taken in preparing their submissions.

Airservices would like to thank the Sunshine Coast community for your interest and participation in the PIR to date.

We received a total of 105 community suggested flight path alternatives and a total of 76 community suggested noise abatement procedure submissions. We had anticipated providing a report on the submissions and our assessment in April or May 2022. However, due to the high number of submissions and the detail contained within many of them, we are still completing our review. We will provide an update on the proposed timing of the report and further engagement in June 2022.

We thank you for your patience as we work through your submissions.

Community Suggested Alternatives Submissions

The submission period for Community Suggested Alternatives is now closed. We note that we continued to received submissions this week past the 9 January 2022 cut off period. All submissions received have been accepted and will be reviewed over the next few months.

Airservices would like to thank the community for their interest and participation in the PIR process. We will continue to update the community on the progress of the assessments on this page as well as through our newsletters.

Following on from some questions submitted during the November community Information session, we have updated the FAQs for the Sunshine Coast PIR to cover information on:

• Population overflown by the RWY13 RNP and RNAV arrival.
• Ambient noise levels recorded on temporary noise monitors.

This information and answers to other common questions can be found here.

Video recording

We have encountered an unexpected technical error with the recording of the meeting on the 18th. Our team is working to identify a solution and we will provide an update soon.

Previously submitted community suggestions

During the 2019 engagement on the final flight path design for Sunshine Coast Airport’s new runway, nine suggestions were received from the community for alternative flight path operations. The assessment of these options was documented in the Sunshine Coast Airspace and Flight Path Changes – Proposed Final Design and Consideration of Feedback – July 2019 which is available on this site. You can access the document here.

Pages 28 to 34 describe each of the suggestions and the assessment outcome.

In most cases, the suggestions could not be progressed because they were not contained within the approved EIS corridor, which at the time the design was constrained by. Several however were also identified as increasing track miles and thus fuel burn and emissions, not complying with industry regulations or design standards, or creating safety issues with aircraft flying closer to mountainous areas.

One option was deemed feasible and was noted future consideration:

• Arriving aircraft to Runway 13 – adjusted northern approach to the RNAV (page 30).

We will revisit each of these options as part of the PIR given we are no longer constrained by the approved EIS corridor, however our required safety, compliance and feasibility considerations will still apply.

Thank you to all community members who joined in the community information session for community suggested flight path alternatives. A copy of the presentation can be found here.

Community suggested alternatives can still be submitted until Friday 24 December 2021 via our online survey.

The survey will take you through a series of questions to provide the required information. You will be able to attach files and images to the survey.

Session Details

Date: Thursday 18 November 2021

Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Venue: Maroochy RSL - 105 Memorial Ave, Maroochydore, QLD

Purpose of the Session

The session will provide an opportunity for Airservices to answer questions from the community about the flight path design considerations and constraints.

Registration for Attendance

Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Queensland affecting the number of people allowed in indoor venues, and to provide a meaningful opportunity for discussion between Airservices and the community, sessions are limited to 50 guests and all attendees must RSVP.

To join our session or to ask a question, please complete the form here. Registrations will close on Tuesday 16 November. Registrants will be sent email confirmation prior to the session.

Community Suggested Alternatives

As part of the PIR we are accepting community suggested alternatives for flight paths .

We are providing the below resources to assist community members in the development of these alternatives.

1. Community Suggested Alternatives Fact Sheet - This Fact Sheet describes the design constraints, considerations and opportunities for suggestions, and our assessment methodology for community suggested alternatives. You can access this Fact Sheet here.
2. Flight Path Design Principles - Community Suggested Alternatives will be considered with reference to Airservices Flight Path Design Principles
3. Community meeting - We will hold a community session to ask questions about the flight path design considerations and constraints. A date for the community session will be provided soon.

Submitting Community Suggested Alternatives

Community suggested alternatives can be submitted from Monday 11 October 2021 to Friday 24 December 2021. (UPDATE: Submission period extended to 9 January 2022)

To submit a suggestion complete our online survey.

The survey will take you through a series of questions to provide the required information. You will be able to attach files and images to the survey.

Installation of Short-Term Noise Monitors

Thank you to all community members who submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) to host a short-term noise monitor at their property. We received multiple EOIs from a range of locations, and have now installed short-term noise monitors at three of these locations.

The short-term noise monitors are installed at:

• Yandina Creek
• Eumundi / Cooroy Mountain
• Mudjimba

The data from these noise monitors is available on WebTrak from COB Friday 1 October 2021 however there will be times during the first few days where the monitors will be offline to enable calibration.

These monitors will remain in place for approximately three months before being moved to other zones identified in the Short Term Noise Monitoring Site Feasibility Assessment.

The submissions period for community suggested changes to the NAPs closed 26 September 2021.

Thank you to all community members who submitted a suggestion. If we have any questions about your suggestion/s, we will contact you directly.

We will prepare a report on our assessment of all suggested alternatives and we will make this available in draft for the community to review and seek clarification prior to publication of the final report.

Please note that the suitability of NAPs is dependent on a range of factors, including the airports physical lay-out and surroundings, the airport and the airspace capacity, particularly during high demand periods. Any changes to aircraft movements or community noise impacts may require further assessment and consultation.