Sydney Airport targets to limit flights over parts of the city not met, and have never been met

Sydney Airport has failed to meet its aircraft noise-sharing targets every year since they were set 17 years ago, with suburbs immediately to its north bearing up to double the number of planes set by the airport’s operating plan as ”fair”.  Under targets set in Sydney Airport’s long-term operating plan, some suburbs are meant to have 17% of aircraft movements overhead. Instead, those areas have had more than 30% of flights every month for the past 3 years, and regularly have more than double the target. The number of aircraft movements is increasing, and the number of larger planes is also rising. Sydney Airport has 2 north-south runways, as well as an east-west runway. During busy times planes are routed over suburbs south and north of the airport, rather than east-west. Larger planes can only use the longer north-south runway. In 1996, in response to growing public pressure over aircraft noise, the government regulator set targets for 55% of movements to go south of the airport, 13% to the east, 15% to the west, and 17% to the north. Local group, No Aircraft Noise, said the noise-sharing targets were a political fix designed to calm public anger, and it was known the targets could never be met.

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Sydney Airport missed noise targets

June 23, 2014
By B (Senior Correspondent for Fairfax Media)
Sydney Morning Herald – New South Wales

EXCLUSIVE

Peak periods: During busy times more planes fly over suburbs south and north of the airport.

Peak periods: More planes fly over suburbs south and north of the airport during busy times.

Sydney Airport has failed to meet its aircraft noise-sharing targets every year since they were set 17 years ago, with suburbs immediately to its north bearing up to double the number of planes set by the airport’s operating plan as ”fair”.

Under targets set in Sydney Airport’s long-term operating plan, suburbs north of Mascot are supposed to have 17 per cent of aircraft movements – planes landing and taking off – overhead.

Instead, those areas have had more than 30 per cent of flights every month for the past three years, and regularly have more than double the target.

Suburbs north of the airport are most affected.

Suburbs north of the airport are most affected.

Sydenham residents hear planes overhead at louder than 70 decibels more than 170 times a day.

The number of planes flying over suburbs north of the airport is steadily increasing, and will rise further as newer, larger planes use Kingsford-Smith and the airport grows busier.

Between 2001 and 2007, 27.54 per cent of planes flew north of the airport. Between 2008 and this year, that figure has been 30.91 per cent.

Sydney Airport has two north-south runways, and only one running east-west. During busy times air traffic controllers are compelled to use the parallel runways, putting more planes over suburbs south and north of the airport.

“During peak periods when aircraft numbers are high, and when weather conditions allow, air traffic controllers use both parallel runways, allowing for a greater throughput of traffic. During these periods, it is not possible to use the cross [east-west] runway,” an Airservices Australia spokesperson said.

Government modelling shows that by 2020, there will be no unused slots for aircraft movements during peak times, and by 2027, no

free slots at any time of day. At full capacity, Sydney airport’s ability to use the east-west runway will be reduced even further. Larger planes can only use the longer north-south runway.

In 1996, in response to growing public pressure over aircraft noise, the government regulator ”developed options for operating the airport in a way that shares the noise as fairly as possible”.

The targets were for 55 per cent of movements to go south of the airport, 13 per cent to the east, 15 per cent to the west, and 17 per cent to the north.

Monthly flight data shows Sydney Airport has never met these targets. Operating plan documents say the non-binding targets were calculated using computer modelling and “have yet to be proven in practice”.

In 2012, an independent steering committee recommended the airport’s noise-sharing arrangements be reviewed and updated. That was rejected by government.

While flights to the north consistently exceed the target, flights to the south and west are universally below – the west often gets only 1 per cent of all flights.

A Sydney Airport spokesperson said the airport worked closely with communities to mitigate noise, especially in suburbs close to the airport. “We continue to invest in infrastructure to facilitate new generation, quieter aircraft such as the A380 … new generation aircraft coming off the production line today are about 75 per cent quieter than they were 40 years ago.”

Sydney Airport’s three runways can be used in 10 configurations for planes. Airservices Australia told Fairfax: “Safety is our first priority when managing aircraft movements.” Wind, rain, and aircraft type determine which runway a plane can use.

Airservices Australia monitors aircraft noise over Sydney suburbs, registering the number of planes louder than 70Db at street level. Seventy decibels is comparable to a vacuum cleaner, a lawnmower, or the noise of freeway traffic from 15 metres.

The suburbs most affected are those immediately north of the airport. This year, Sydenham has had, on average, 172 planes a day louder than 70Db. Leichhardt has had 102, St Peters 98, and Annandale 69.

The Kurnell Peninsula has averaged 77 planes a day above the 70dB threshold in 2014.

In George Street, Sydenham, Carl Ruhinda said the noise was “unbelievable, the planes feel like they are just above your head”.

”I run an online business from home and if I am on the phone when a plane comes over, we can’t hear anything at all. Even if there are two people inside the house, you can’t speak. The planes are … very disruptive.”

He said neighbours had moved because of the planes.

 


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Other articles on Sydney airport, by Ben Doherty:

Ben Doherty is Senior Correspondent for Fairfax Media:

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Sydney Airport’s runway dependence means more noise for inner west residents

BEN DOHERTY 23.6.2014

Sydney Airport will rely on its parallel north-south runways for almost all of its flying hours by the end of the decade, a report prepared for the government says, meaning more flights over suburbs immediately north and south of the airport.

Fairfax Media revealed on Monday that the airport’s noise-sharing targets had not been met for any of the 17 years they had been in force.

In particular, suburbs immediately north of the airport, which are supposed to have 17 per cent of landing and taking-off planes overhead, had experienced more than 30 per cent of flights for the past three years.

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A committee commissioned by the state and federal governments warned in 2012 that Sydney Airport’s noise-sharing arrangements – designed to share aircraft noise as evenly as possible across the city – would become increasingly unattainable.

As airport traffic increases, it will become more dependent on the greater capacity of its two north-south runways, rather than the single east-west airstrip. In addition, newer, larger aircraft – though quieter than older planes – can use only the north-south runway.

“By around 2020, the noise-sharing modes will only normally be available in early mornings and late evening,” the report said.

“There is no scope to extend the site of Sydney Airport to increase the capacity of the runway system to address the underlying constraint on long-term capacity.”

The report recommended that the targets should be reviewed “with a view to setting achievable noise reduction targets for the airport based on the new generation, quieter aircraft types”. The recommendation was rejected by the government.

A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said the airport’s master plan, approved by the federal government this year, forecast passenger numbers rising to 74 million annually by 2033.

“The plan shows that the airport has ample capacity and noise sharing will continue to occur over that period,” she said.

Airport representatives had consulted with hundreds of residents over its master plan, and the main issue raised was transport to the airport, not noise, she said.

Allan Rees, from No Aircraft Noise, said the noise-sharing targets were a political fix designed to calm public anger, and it was known the targets could never be met.

“Operationally, the airport just can’t do it,” he said. “Those targets have never been achieved, and they’ve just sat on their hands and said ‘it’s nothing to do with us’.”

Mr Rees said there needed to be a drastic rethink of the airport’s operation. “The whole history of Sydney Airport has been a series of blunders, of quick fixes.”

Marrickville Greens councillor Max Phillips said that within a few years, 80 plane movements an hour would be scheduled for most of the day. “The east-west runway will effectively be mothballed with residents of the inner west copping almost all the noise.”

In April, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a second airport for Sydney would be built at Badgerys Creek, but without specific details of how the airport would operate. The Sydney Airport Corporation has the right of first refusal to build that airport.

Sydney Airport is subject to a curfew between 11pm and 6am, and a cap of 80 plane movements an hour. The federal government has ruled out any changes to the cap or curfew.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-airports-runway-dependence-means-more-noise-for-inner-west-residents-20140623-zsj47.html

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Sydney Airport has never met plane noise-sharing targets

22.6.2014

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-airport-has-never-met-plane-noisesharing-targets-20140622-zshwq.html

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Other news about Sydney Airport:

Australian government approves construction of 2nd Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek

15.4.2014
The Australian government has approved the construction of a 2nd large airport at Badgerys Creek, in western Sydney, about 45 km west of the central business district.   Prime Minister Tony Abbott said planning and design work would start immediately,  with construction expected to begin in 2016. The first flights might take place by the mid-2020s. Funding would come mostly from the private sector. The idea for this airport has been around for decades, but plans to put it at Badgerys Creek were shelved for fear of backlash from local voters.  Mr Abbott has made it clear he wants a curfew-free airport, so it can have flights all night.  Sydney’s current airport is only 8km away from the city and it operates with a curfew between 23:00 and 06:00. Opponents of building the airport at Badgerys Creek say there are better ways of dealing with airport capacity demand, by locating regional flights and cargo flights to two other nearby airports. Sydney airport already has 3 runways (two parallel north south and one east-west) and is only up to 80 aircraft movements per hour during the morning and afternoon peaks. They say it is likely, due to pricing changes and competition, the new airport is unlikely to pay back its investors for years, and that proper studies of alternatives have not been looked at properly. 
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