Latest news with #WesternSydneyAirport
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Why this map of the flight paths for Western Sydney Airport has outraged locals: 'Over our house'
Locals have been left furious over the finalised plans for the flight paths for the new Western Sydney Airport with some complaining about the future noise pollution. Transport Minister Catherine King announced on Wednesday the locked in flight routes as construction was completed on the runway, with the facility set to open in 2026. Residents in the Blue Mountains and Wallacia regions have benefitted from the alterations to the early designs unveiled in 2023 and 2024 but many are still angry, saying they do not go far enough. Ms King said there are five changes made to reduce aircraft noise following community consultations, with four of those regarding night operations. 'Most notably, I'll be issuing a ministerial direction to Airservices Australia to make reciprocal runway operations (RRO) the default operating mode at night, including specific noise abatement procedure, when both are safe to do so,' she added. RRO involves planes taking off and landing in the same direction, which in this case will be the southwest utilising opposite ends of the single runway between 11pm and 5.30am. Outraged residents have flooded social media with many complaining they will be affected by the noise pollution. 'Good stuff, Springwood/Faulconbridge still getting overnight noise then. The arrivals practically goes over our house,' another said. 'Noise is NOT subjective it is actual noise, I don't believe I am in the corridor, but do sympathise with those who are,' another said. 'No curfews. Huge issue!' a third said. The Residents Against Western Sydney Airport (RAWSA) group agreed the changes were 'just window dressing' and said it was 'appalled' that there was no change to the '24/7 flight intrusion'. RAWSA wants a curfew and hourly flight caps. One local on a Blue Mountains Facebook group said that properties under the aircraft routes should be soundproofed at the government's expense. 'Soundproofing for homes under flight path needed so we can sleep of a night or better still give us a curfew like Mascot. Maybe the people off the West don't count.' Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said that it was 'not good enough' that the area would still be impacted. 'We are a world heritage area. Flogging this place with aircraft noise is nothing short of a senseless disregard for the United Nations declaration,' he said. 'Moreover, this decision treats the people of the Blue Mountains and western Sydney as second-class citizens.' However, others argued the noise would be minimal. 'Almost every single major city in the world has a 24/7 airport. It's good for the economy if it annoys you that much f*** off and move somewhere else,' one said. 'Might be noisy at first, but you'll get used to the noise and it won't bother you anymore,' another added. 'Complaining about decently high altitude plane noise meanwhile overnight 30-40 coal trains barrel along with no issues.' One pilot, Captain Byron Bailey, said the RRO directive was 'almost farcical' as it would result in congestion due to pilots having to navigate the additional challenges of taking off into-wind and landing with the wind behind them. 'Nowhere in the world is (RRO) done like this. The resulting traffic confliction and holding would be ridiculous, possibly difficult for ATC to manage,' he told Sky News. However, Aviation consultant and CEO of Strategic Air, Tony Stanton, argued the RRO would only be used at night when air traffic was minimal. 'We've learnt lessons from other airports, which is why I have imposed a number of additional conditions that will reduce our aircraft noise,' Infrastructure and Transport Minister King said. 'Can I say that there will be no noise for anyone? I can't say that because that's the very nature of operating an airport is that you have planes, and planes do make noise.'
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
Western Sydney International Airport's new flight paths revealed ahead of 2026 opening
The new flight paths have been finalised for travellers looking to take to the skies from Sydney's new international airport. A slate of changes has been made to the routes, which were revealed on Wednesday, following two years of planning and community consultation. Those living in the Blue Mountains and Wallacia areas are set to benefit from the changes, spared from overnight noise – the authorisation labelled a 'crucial step' to the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport in late 2026. 'We've learnt lessons from other airports, which is why I have imposed a number of additional conditions that will reduce our aircraft noise,' Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said. 'Can I say that there will be no noise for anyone? I can't say that because that's the very nature of operating an airport is that you have planes, and planes do make noise.' The initial flight paths were revealed in 2023 followed by a final environmental impact statement in 2024. Five changes were made to help minimise aircraft noise following feedback from the community, Ms King said. Four of those were to do with night-time operations. 'Most notably, I'll be issuing a ministerial direction to Airservices Australia to make reciprocal runway operations the default operating mode at night, including the use of a specific noise abatement procedure, when both are safe to do so,' she added. Reciprocal runway operations (RRO) involve planes taking off and landing in the same direction – in this case, the southwest – but at opposite ends of the runway. This aims to minimise the impact of noise on the most heavily populated areas of Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Wallacia. Other changes included the removal of the 'Runway 23 Northeast Night (RRO)' flight path and reallocating aircraft to a southeastern flight path, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. A recommendation for the creation of an environmental monitoring program to oversee the impacts of aircraft noise within and adjacent to the Greater Blue Mountains area was also made. The airport is expected to accommodate 10 million passengers each year and 81,000 air traffic movements per year by 2033. The construction of the 3.7km runway has been completed ready for aircraft. Testing is set to begin.
The Age
29-05-2025
- The Age
This $50m park poses an unlikely threat to Sydney's new airport
Plans to build a $50 million urban park near Western Sydney Airport have sparked fears of strikes on low-flying aircraft due to a spike in bats and birds that could be drawn to the sprawling green space. Western Sydney Airport officials have called for a range of wildlife management protocols to reduce risks from the park set to be built two kilometres from the airport's runway. The two-hectare green space, approved by the NSW government in March, will be located on top of the future Bradfield metro station and feature at least 550 trees, wetlands and open green spaces for public events. The Bradfield Development Authority (BDA), which is delivering the project, hopes the park will become an 'urban oasis' in the heart of Bradfield City Centre, which is projected to have a population of 3000 by 2036. Western Sydney Airport officials have raised safety concerns over the increased risk of birds and bats coming into conflict with aircraft. Bird strikes are commonplace in the aviation sector; Australian Transport Safety Bureau figures show 17,280 bird strikes have been reported at airports nationwide over the past 10 years. Qantas and Virgin Australia have reported that multiple flights have been affected in recent months. A bird strike was also believed to have sparked flames in an engine of an Australia-bound Virgin flight from New Zealand last year. Despite the high number of incidents, most bird strikes rarely damage an aircraft or cause injuries.
Sydney Morning Herald
29-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
This $50m park poses an unlikely threat to Sydney's new airport
Plans to build a $50 million urban park near Western Sydney Airport have sparked fears of strikes on low-flying aircraft due to a spike in bats and birds that could be drawn to the sprawling green space. Western Sydney Airport officials have called for a range of wildlife management protocols to reduce risks from the park set to be built two kilometres from the airport's runway. The two-hectare green space, approved by the NSW government in March, will be located on top of the future Bradfield metro station and feature at least 550 trees, wetlands and open green spaces for public events. The Bradfield Development Authority (BDA), which is delivering the project, hopes the park will become an 'urban oasis' in the heart of Bradfield City Centre, which is projected to have a population of 3000 by 2036. Western Sydney Airport officials have raised safety concerns over the increased risk of birds and bats coming into conflict with aircraft. Bird strikes are commonplace in the aviation sector; Australian Transport Safety Bureau figures show 17,280 bird strikes have been reported at airports nationwide over the past 10 years. Qantas and Virgin Australia have reported that multiple flights have been affected in recent months. A bird strike was also believed to have sparked flames in an engine of an Australia-bound Virgin flight from New Zealand last year. Despite the high number of incidents, most bird strikes rarely damage an aircraft or cause injuries.
Time Out
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
A huge new metro station is being built beneath Sydney's CBD
In August of last year, the new stretch of the Sydney Metro City line opened, and Sydney went wild. The superfast driverless train system has transformed how Sydneysiders travel between the North Shore and the Inner West, but the Sydney Metro isn't stopping there. Once it's complete, the Sydney Metro network is due to comprise 46 stations – with the existing line extending all the way to Bankstown and a 23-kilometre line connecting to the new Western Sydney Airport. Alongside the new Western Sydney Airport metro line and the Sydney Metro City line extension, there's another major metro route currently under construction: Sydney Metro West. This 24-kilometre line – running from Sydney CBD to Westmead – is due to open in 2032, and construction has just reached a major milestone. Deep beneath the CBD, the excavation for the huge Hunter Street Station – which will be the final station for the new line – is now complete. This station is due to be the busiest on the Western Sydney line, which is expected to double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. According to Transport for NSW, the Hunter Street Station will see 10,000 people per hour move through it during the morning peak by 2036. As well as the subterranean metro station, the development of the Hunter Street precinct (in the heart of the CBD, with access points between O'Connell Street and Bligh Street and on the corner of George Street and Hunter Street) also involves the construction of Hunter Street Towers. The new world-class commercial and retail precinct will be formed by two towers, and will be directly connected to the station. Comprising a 58-storey building above Hunter Street Station East (between O'Connell Street and Bligh Street) and a 51-storey building above Hunter Street Station West (on the corner of George Street and Hunter Street), the development will support additional jobs and economic growth in Sydney CBD, with a direct link to the thousands of new homes set to be built along the Sydney Metro West line. Currently, though, Hunter Street is home to an enormous, fully-excavated cavern which is ready to start welcoming construction. The cavern that now sits under Hunter Street is 20 metres high, 28 metres wide and 180 metres long – with 240,000 tonnes of material (enough to fill more than 290 Olympic size swimming pools) successfully removed from the site. 'This station is going to such an important gateway to Sydney's west, getting people to Parramatta in about 20 minutes, and linking precincts like Sydney Olympic Park, Burwood, the Bays and the health district of Westmead,' says Minister for Transport John Graham.
