If you live near Sydney’s new airport, you’re about to find out its flight routes
“The precedent was set where the houses are around Mascot [airport] All received significant noise reduction support. As soon as we know where the flight paths are [for the new airport]I expect houses there to receive a similar package of support,” he said.
In 2018, the federal government provided $75 million to reduce the impact of aircraft noise and compensate nearby residents who may have been severely affected.
The new 3.7km runway will be long enough to handle aircraft the size of an A380 superjumbo.
Labor MP Susan Templeman, whose constituency in Macquarie, in Sydney’s far west will be among the hardest hit by aircraft noise, said the interactive tool would allow people to see clearly what their home, school or work is like likely to be affected by the flight routes.
“I remain extremely concerned about the aircraft noise that the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury will experience,” she said.
The Sydney Basin already has the busiest airspace in the country. In 2019 – before the pandemic – there were more than 710,000 annual flight movements in the basin.
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The new airport, which is around 45 kilometers from Sydney’s CBD, will initially have a capacity for around 10 million passengers per year, which equates to around 63,000 aircraft movements per year and is similar in size to Adelaide Airport. The new airport can accommodate passenger aircraft as large as A380 superjumbos and cargo aircraft such as Boeing 747-400 Freighters.
Once the airport opens in late 2026, aircraft will take off or land in either a northeast or southwest direction, depending on the prevailing winds.
Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue Chair Christopher Brown said noise exposure to local residents from flights is minimal and the social and economic opportunities of the new airport are transformative.
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“People in Blacktown who worry about the noise from Badgerys Creek are like people in Manly who cover their ears when planes take off from Mascot,” said Brown, who was a member of a joint federal and state commission investigating the Location Badgerys Creek nominated The airport.
The construction of the airport at the foot of the Blue Mountains has reached its peak with around 3500 employees. The next milestone will be the completion of the airport terminal roof within the next two months.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s transport and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said she expects the online tool, showing preliminary flight paths and aircraft noise impacts, to be released next month.
“The Government is committed to balancing the needs of the community, environment, industry and users of Sydney’s greater airspace, while prioritizing safety when designing flight routes,” she said.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport said it was developing a noise abatement and land acquisition guideline related to aircraft noise for buildings near the airport, which would be published as part of the draft environmental impact assessment.
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