Western Sydney International releases preliminary flight paths

Preliminary flight paths have been released for Western Sydney Airport (WSI), along with an online tool to let residents see the impact on their location. The flight paths, which will be subject to a formal planning and consultation period later this year, have been designed for WSI’s single initial runway. They include reciprocal runway operations (RRO), where planes arrive and depart from the same direction, to minimise noise at night when traffic permits. During the day, aircraft will use Runway 05 (approaching from the southwest and departing to the northeast) or Runway 23 (approaching from the northeast and departing to the southwest) depending on prevailing wind conditions. At night (11pm to 5:30am), when weather conditions are suitable and there is lower traffic demand, the airport will have the option of RRO, with all aircraft approaching from and departing to the southwest. This will minimise the impact of aircraft noise on more densely-populated areas of Western Sydney. According to Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is coming later this year, with community information and feedback to be conducted across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains in coming months. Additionally, the Government has released an interactive Overflight Noise Tool that will allow residents to search by address or location, giving information such as daily aircraft numbers, expected altitude, and predicted noise levels.<br/>