Author: Kathleen Collett

Since the 1970s, ICAO has set progressively tighter certification standards (known as Chapters) for the noise emitted from civilian aircraft.  Each Chapter sets noise level compliance criteria for different aircraft during take-off and landing.  The large majority of civilian aircraft now operating in the global fleet mix fall within Chapters 3 and 4, and generally reflect step changes in aircraft technology.  All new aircraft manufactured from 2006 onwards must meet the Chapter 4 noise standard.

A new Chapter 14 standard has applied to all newly certified larger aircraft on or after 31 December 2017 and will do so for lower weight new aircraft as of 2020.  At Sydney Airport, some aircraft including the Boeing B787 and Airbus A350, already meet these more stringent noise standards.

The application of ICAO’s noise standards falls under the authority of each member state.  For example, Chapter 2 aircraft have been banned from operating in Australia since April 2002.  Marginally compliant Chapter 3 aircraft (Chapter 2 aircraft retro-fitted with a ‘hush-kit’ to meet Chapter 3 standards) were also banned from major Australian airports (including Sydney Airport) in September 2010.

No further restrictions are pending at this stage in Australia.  However, as shown in the below diagram, airline fleet renewal and modernisation programs continue to progressively introduce into service new generation, quieter aircraft (for example the Boeing B787, B737Max, Airbus A350, A320neo) in place of ageing, noisier aircraft (like the Boeing B747, B767 and Airbus A340) which are being retired.

It is acknowledged that, despite the noise emitted by individual aircraft having decreased significantly over time, the frequency of such flights has grown.

Pillar 1 at Sydney Airport

Reduction at the Source is being achieved in the following ways:

• In 2018, 21 airlines are operating next generation aircraft
  – 25 percent of all scheduled international movements
  – 452 next generation movements per week
  – Average seat configuration of 383 seats – 33 percent higher than the overall international average

• Since 2010, legacy four engine aircraft (B747/A340) numbers have reduced by 68 percent, from an average of 38 movements per day to fewer than 15 movements per day
• In 2017, Sydney Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world for next generation aircraft movements, and 9th in terms of seats

 

Land use planning and development compatibility controls near airports help minimise the impact of aircraft noise on people living in surrounding communities:

“The number of people affected by aircraft noise is dependent on the way in which the use of land surrounding an airport is planned and managed, and in particular the extent to which residential development and other noise-sensitive activities are controlled” (ICAO).

There are three key land use planning instruments:

• Planning instruments control development in accordance with its compatibility with airport operations, and seek to minimise the extent to which the local community is exposed to aircraft noise.  This is the basis of Australia’s Aircraft Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF) system
• Mitigating instruments are noise mitigation measures, ranging from mandated noise insulation by local planning authorities for new homes that fall inside designated noise contours, through to the acquisition of existing properties
• Financial instruments can involve a noise insulation fund to support property owners to mitigate noise impacts, or the application of broader noise-related airport charges to fund an insulation program or to incentivise aircraft operators to progressively renew their fleets with new generation, quieter aircraft.

Pillar 2 at Sydney Airport

Planning instruments
To minimise the new development of sensitive uses in noise affected areas surrounding the airport, Sydney Airport has published its updated ANEF (as part of Master Plan 2039) and works closely with the NSW Government and Local Governments in relation to land use planning controls.

Mitigation instruments
Mitigation instruments include the use of preferential runways and flight paths, as well as jet noise abatement operational procedures (NAOPs) to be used by pilots during take-off, approach and landing, to minimise noise during aircraft operations in the vicinity of an airport. Sydney Airport implements NAOPs to minimise noise impacts in areas around Sydney Airport and / or under flight paths.  Airservices Australia conducts regular reviews to check the effectiveness of NAOPs and to seek improvements.
Some local planning authorities require noise insulation to be included in new homes they approve that fall within designated noise contours.

Financial instruments
There are currently no financial instruments operating at Sydney Airport in relation to aircraft noise mitigation.

Operational measures tend to be specific to either aircraft take-off or landing but can result in cumulative improvements.  They encompass a wide variety of techniques, but generally fall under one or more of four areas:

Noise emission reduction

Noise emission reduction includes operational measures that reduce aircraft noise emissions during the initial or final stages of flight (for example the use of lower thrust or drag settings).

Increase in noise source distance

Increase in noise-source distance includes operational measures that increase the distance between the source of aircraft noise and the ground, particularly a ground-based noise sensitive receptor (i.e. residential dwelling).  For example, flight profiles that keep the aircraft higher on approach (e.g. steeper angle or continuous descent) or on take-off (continuous climb-out).

Reduction in exposed population

Reduction in exposed population includes operational measures aimed at reducing the population exposed to aircraft noise by overflying less populated areas (i.e. over water and non-residential land).  This can involve the use of specific flight tracks, or the preferential use of runways at certain times of the day/night subject to the prevailing wind direction.

Aircraft noise respite

Aircraft noise respite includes operational measures that provide respite from aircraft noise from the use of runway alternation (i.e. partial or full) or the rotation of flight tracks.  Respite can also be provided with operational restrictions which are covered by the fourth pillar of ICAO’s Balanced Approach.

Pillar 3 at Sydney Airport

Minimising the number of noise affected residents and providing and respite from aircraft noise at Sydney Airport for those residents who are affected has been the Australian Government’s objective since 1997 through its directive to Airservices Australia to implement the Long Term Operating Plan (LTOP) for Sydney Airport.

As with previous master plans for Sydney Airport, Master Plan 2039 assumes that the LTOP will remain in force during the planning period, and that Sydney Airport will continue to provide and maintain the necessary on-airport infrastructure to facilitate this.  LTOP is a preferential runway regime based on the principle of noise sharing, with 10 defined Runway Modes of Operation (RMOs).  The various RMOs have different combinations of flight paths in the vicinity of the airport.

Where and when possible, the preference is to direct aircraft over water (i.e. Botany Bay to the south of the airport and the uninhabited Kurnell sand dunes) rather than residential areas.

The Australian Government and Airservices Australia have extensive information on the development, implementation, historic and current usage of the runway ends, flight paths and the various LTOP modes on their respective websites.

While Modes 5, 7 and 14a are most commonly referred to as the principal noise sharing RMOs, Modes 9, 12 and 13 and SODPROPS can also, to varying degrees, produce beneficial noise sharing outcomes.  SODPROPS refers to the ‘Simultaneous opposite direction parallel runway operations’.

Airservices Australia provides air traffic control (ATC) and air traffic management (ATM) services to aircraft at Sydney Airport, both for approach and departure paths and the en-route network.  When selecting an RMO at Sydney, ATC must ensure that, subject to safety and weather conditions:

• Flight paths over water (i.e. Botany Bay) or non-residential areas are preferred where possible
• The rest of the air traffic is shared over surrounding communities as fairly as possible
• Within safety and operational constraints, runway noise sharing RMO’s change throughout the day maximise respite from aircraft noise in individual areas

Sydney Airport, as a member of the Sydney Airport Community Forum (SACF) and the LTOP Implementation and Monitoring Committee (IMC), continues to support the sharing of aircraft noise in areas around Sydney Airport as equitably as possible within the LTOP’s constraints of safety and operational efficiency.

 

Operational Restrictions can be classified into four broad categories:

1. Global restrictions apply to all air traffic movements and generally relate to cumulative noise levels, whether based on a movement cap or a cumulative noise quota count system
2. Aircraft-specific restrictions apply to certain aircraft types based on international noise certification standards or related noise performance
3. Partial restrictions relate to operating restrictions that apply to a specific time of day (e.g. night curfew), predetermined days of the week, nominated flight phase operations (take-off or landing) or RMOs
4. Progressive restrictions relate to the implementation of noise mitigation measures such as a reduction in the number of air traffic movements (i.e. movement caps), conditional runway movement limits (i.e. attached to development approvals for new runways) or a reduction in the cumulative noise quota count.

Pillar 4 at Sydney Airport

Operational restrictions apply at Sydney Airport.  Such operational restrictions include:

• Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995– 11pm to 6am curfew (restricts operations to specific types of aircraft or operations and specific runway assignment rules)
  – Noise certification of aircraft
• Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997
  – Cap on maximum of 80 planned movements per hour
• Protection of regional access to Sydney Airport (“regional ring fence”)
• Long Term Operating Plan (LTOP)

Understanding flight paths at Sydney Airport

Minimising the number of aircraft noise affected residents around Sydney Airport has been the Australian Government’s objective through its directive to Airservices Australia to implement the Long Term Operating Plan (LTOP) for Sydney Airport.  The LTOP is a preferential runway regime based on the principle of noise sharing and is achieved through the use of different combinations of flight paths in the vicinity of the airport.

According to Airservices, the LTOP aims to minimise aircraft noise impacts on residents by ensuring aircraft arrive and depart over water and non-residential areas as much as possible.  When this is not possible, the objective is to provide breaks in the air traffic (often called periods of respite) to communities by changing runways to share the noise.

The paramount concern when selecting runways and flight paths at Sydney Airport is safety.  As aircraft must take off and land into wind, the weather conditions present at the time generally dictate in which direction aircraft will fly.

The map below shows the primary flight paths at Sydney Airport with your area highlighted.  Hover over each of the flight paths to see the operation type and runway used on each path.

Your location will display on the map based on your location input.  Enter your address to see information relevant to where you live or your suburb to see information general to your suburb.  If you choose not to enter your location, you will see information for Sydney CBD.