On 19 September 2020, we held the first of our community meetings for the Sunshine Coast Flight Path Post Implementation Review (PIR).
The meeting was held at the Maroochy RSL, between 1pm and 5pm, and had participants from community groups, local councils, elected representatives, and Sunshine Coast Airport. The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman observed the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss Airservices draft Terms of Reference for the PIR.
We thank everyone who participated, either in person, or on WebEx (despite some technical issues).
Presentations and information from the meeting, including a video recording, will be available here.
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Airservices presentation included:
- the draft PIR scope
- an overview of current Sunshine Coast operations
- Sunshine Coast Flight Path Design Considerations
- our process for considering community suggested alternatives for noise improvement.
Download the Draft Terms of Reference (ToR) presentation here.
Download the Sunshine Coast Flight Path Design Considerations here.
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Buddina Flight Path Group presented information on their proposed flight path change.
Download the presentation here.
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Flight Path Forum submitted questions during the meeting.
Download a copy of the Flight Path Forum questions here.
Download a copy of our responses to these questions here.
We have reviewed the feedback and discussions from the meeting, and a summary is provided here.
Access video recordings of the presentations during the meeting here.
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Links to relevant information discussed at the meeting include:
We are continuing to refine the draft Terms of Reference and these will be available for public comment. We will discuss the timing of the next steps with the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman and provide an update here.
We have recently developed a new Aircraft in Your Neighbourhood portal for Sunshine Coast Airport, where you can learn about flight paths and aircraft movements. You can enter your address or drop a pin to see learn about operations in your area.
Airservices Australia is pleased to announce the commencement of its Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Sunshine Coast Airport Airspace Changes.
On 19 September 2020 we will be holding a meeting with representatives of local community groups. This meeting will be an opportunity to learn more about the PIR process and discuss the draft PIR Terms of Reference.
Due to COVID-19 social distancing measures attendance numbers are limited.
To enable broader community participation we will video the meeting and will make it available here following the event.
If you are interested in participating in the meeting but are not a member of an invited community group, you can email an expression of interest to communityengagement@airservicesaustralia.com and we will add your name to our wait list. Places will be allocated following RSVPs from invited groups.
In May 2019, the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman (ANO) commenced an investigation into flight path changes at Sunshine Coast.
The ANO provided Airservices with the report on 30 April 2020, and Airservices has accepted the two recommendations.
The ANO released the report, and Airservices response, on the ANO website on 30 June 2020.
The Investigation into complaints about the introduction of new flight paths in Sunshine Coast (April 2020) and Airservices' response can be accessed here (external site).
Airservices thanks the ANO for providing this report and its recommendations.
Airservices has received the ANO report into the Multiple Complaints investigation for Sunshine Coast.
In accordance with the ANO Charter, the Airservices Board will consider this report at its next scheduled meeting.
The ANO will release the report in the next two to three weeks.
We will also provide a link to the report here.
The Sunshine Coast Council has advised that the Sunshine Coast Airport’s new runway (RWY 13/31), planned to commence operations on 21 May 2020, will now be operational on 14 June 2020, subject to weather and COVID-19 not disrupting the program.
Council has advised that any such disruptions to the program may mean the date of 14 June 2020 will not be able to be met and programming will have to be reviewed.
The existing runway (RWY 18/36) will remain active and in use until the new runway is operational. Aircraft, including medical and emergency, charter flights and general aviation, will continue to use the current flight paths to the existing runway until the new runway is open.
You can read more about the runway update on the Sunshine Coast Council News Centre website (external site).
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will be checking the approach and departure procedures for the new runway on Tuesday 17 March. This is expected to occur in the morning.
Local residents may observe a twin-engine aircraft flying a low and uncommon flight pattern up to 35 kilometres from the airport. Further information on this can be found on the CASA website.
On
30 July 2019 Airservices submitted an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP)
to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Office of Airspace Regulation
(OAR) for consideration.
On
9 October 2019 CASA OAR approved the changes to airspace volumes to support
operations to Sunshine Coast Airport’s new runway 13/31.
These changes will ensure the required flight paths and airspace are ready to support operations when the runway opens.
Yandina Quarry Operations
We
are aware that some community members expressed concern regarding the potential
aviation safety risk associated with operations at Yandina Quarry.
CASA OAR advised Airservices that they received an application for a Danger Area due to blasting at the Yandina Quarry on 26 August 2014.
They reviewed the application and identified that the height of the fly rock does not exceed ground level during regular blasting activities, therefore it does not pose a hazard to aviation.
CASA
OAR determined the activities do not warrant the establishment of a Danger Area
and did not impose conditions on either the air traffic management at
Sunshine Coast Airport.
Airservices proposed final
design for airspace and flight path changes at the Sunshine Coast was shaped by
community feedback, and this design has been assessed for environmental impacts
in Airservices Targeted Environmental Impact Assessment Version 2 (TEIA V2).
The findings of TEIA V2 remain consistent with the findings of the approved
EIS.
The TEIA V2 can be accessed under the Resources section. Please note due to the large
file size we have split the TEIA V2 into several smaller documents for ease of
downloading.
We have received a number of queries from communities south of the airport, including Buddina and Point Cartwright, that have been requesting the flight paths be amended to follow this procedure:
“At the earliest of 500 feet or departure end of runway turn left and track 100 degrees, at 8 DME SU intercept outbound track (track direct Moolo)”.
This procedure is not possible to implement according to international design standards:
- As some aircraft can still be only at 16 feet at the departure end of a runway, and a turn left at that stage would not provide minimum obstacle clearance and would be unsafe; and
- if an aircraft was at 500 feet and still above the runway, a turn left would expose a large area of residential communities to direct overflight.
Given the range of aircraft type and operations at Sunshine Coast Airport, that would result in a large splay of where aircraft might go, and would spread the impact of aircraft operations and noise over communities.
Procedures require that aircraft can only turn after reaching 500 feet, or the departure end of the runway – whichever is the latter.
The Airservices design for the Runway 13 departure is safe, compliant and correct, and minimises the effect of aircraft operations on the community.
Airservices has submitted the Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) to support the Sunshine Coast’s Airport's new runway.
Proposed changes to the Australian airspace architecture are managed through the CASA airspace change process, and are legislated under the Airspace Regulations 2007.
CASA will review the Sunshine Coast ACP to ensure it includes airspace that is needed to contain flight paths in controlled airspace, that it meets International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices, and incorporates international best practice that benefit the Australian Airspace System, wherever practicable.
When assessing the ACP, CASA will use the following criteria:
- Safety
- Protection of the environment
- Efficient use of airspace
- Equitable access
- National security
- Current and future needs of the Australian aviation industry
- Advances in technology
(Source: https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/default/files/arasmm.pdf)
Airservices expects a decision from CASA regarding the submission later in 2019 and we will notify the community once we are advised.
We would like to thank the Sunshine Coast community for submitting queries on the Sunshine Coast Airspace and Flight Path Changes and Consideration and Feedback Report.
During the 10 day query period, we received a total of 2,400 visits to our Engage Airservices engagement platform. We also had 119 queries and complaints submitted and our documents were downloaded 1,670 times.
PIR report
Sunshine Coast community workshop (15/10/2022) presentation (2.78 MB) (pdf)
Video recording of the Webex meeting on Noise Modelling, Noise Monitoring and Noise Abatement Procedures.
