Port Stephens MP Kate Washington is seeking a briefing on how proposed changes to flight paths at Newcastle Airport will affect Lower Hunter residents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Technical experts from Airservices Australia, the government-owned corporation which manages air traffic, will hold a series of 14 community meetings across the region this month to outline their preliminary design for new departure and arrival flight paths at the airport.
Fact sheets on the Airservices website list "potential noise levels" from commercial aircraft in dozens of towns and suburbs, including up to 90 decibels at Raymond Terrace and 80 decibels at Thornton, but it is not clear how these compare with existing aircraft noise.
The new flight paths appear to have little impact on the Newcastle local government area, but Airservices says they "may result in a noticeable change to aircraft operations in some locations" in the Hunter.
For example, the fact sheets say "East Maitland, Millers Forest, South Maitland, Tenambit, Thornton and Woodberry may notice Williamtown departure operations from RWY 30 below 5000 feet".
The fact sheets do not include potential new noise levels from military aircraft, though the Airservices website mentions only changes to civil flight paths.
"For local residents, noise levels don't discriminate between who's flying the plane," Ms Washington said on Sunday.
"Without a complete picture of the potential increase to noise levels, it's difficult for residents to meaningfully engage.
"So I'm seeking a briefing to understand the proposal and what it will actually mean for local residents."
Airservices started the flight path review in early 2021 and conducted a community survey in March and April of that year.
The changes are in response to a 2015 Civil Aviation Safety Authority study which found a significant increase in scheduled air traffic at Williamtown, together with the arrival of the RAAF's new Joint Strike Fighter, required an airspace redesign in accordance with international best practice.
Airservices says the changes will better separate civilian and military aircraft and introduce new procedures for safer and shorter runway approaches.
"Where operationally safe, flight paths have been designed to minimise impacts to communities, particularly in relation to aircraft noise," it says on its website.
"Where residential areas cannot be avoided, we have attempted to design the airspace so operations can be distributed and noise shared, and to avoid the most populated areas of these communities, where possible."
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
