Gold Coast Airport. Aircraft Noise Information Report. Quarter (July to September) Page 1

Transcription

1 Gold Coast Airport Aircraft Noise Information Report Quarter (July to September) Page 1

2 Version Control Version Number Detail Prepared by Date 1 - Environment 16 December Update to text on pg 7,9 and 23. Environment 10 January 2013 Airservices Australia. All rights reserved. This report contains a summary of data collected over the specified period and is intended to convey the best information available from the NFPMS at the time. The system databases are to some extent dependent upon external sources and errors may occur. All care is taken in preparation of the report but its complete accuracy can not be guaranteed. Airservices Australia does not accept any legal liability for any losses arising from reliance upon data in this report which may be found to be inaccurate. Page 2

3 Gold Coast Basin - Aircraft Noise Information Report Contents 1 PURPOSE Gold Coast Airport Aircraft noise monitoring at the Gold Coast Short term monitoring Fingal Head monitoring 4 2 FLIGHT PATTERNS Jet aircraft Non-jet aircraft Track density plots 9 3 AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS All movements Curfew movements 14 4 NOISE MONITORING Fingal Head noise monitoring 19 5 COMPLAINTS DATA NCIS Clients by suburb Issues raised by NCIS clients 22 6 AIRSERVICES UPDATE Improving Noise Outcomes Noise improvements implemented Noise improvement opportunities Community meetings 23 7 CONTACT US 24 APPENDIX 1 AIRSERVICES UPDATE 25 Page 3

4 1 Purpose This report summarises data for Quarter 3 of 2013 (July to September) from Airservices Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System (NFPMS) and Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS) for the Gold Coast area (Gold Coast Airport). 1.1 Gold Coast Airport Gold Coast Airport is located at the southern end of the Gold Coast just west of the Gold Coast Highway adjacent to Bilinga Beach (see Figure 1). The majority of operations at Gold Coast Airport are international and domestic regular passenger services. General aviation also operates from the airport, including both fixed wing and helicopter training flights. During Quarter 3 of 2013 there were around 16,400 aircraft movements at Gold Coast Airport. More information about Gold Coast Airport is available from the Airservices website at Aircraft noise monitoring at the Gold Coast Airservices NFPMS captures and stores radar, flight plan and noise data. The NFPMS covers eight city regions around Australia. For the Gold Coast region, noise data is captured by two noise monitors, also referred to as Environmental Monitoring Units (EMUs), located at Tugun to the north of the airport and at Banora Point to the south. 1.3 Short term monitoring Airservices carried out additional short term monitoring at various locations around the Gold Coast from 1 September 2013 to 30 September The monitoring units were used to capture additional data at Kingscliff (2), Banora Point West, Banora Point East and Palm Beach. Reports will be made available on the Airservices website. 1.4 Fingal Head monitoring A separate six-month monitoring program is currently underway at Fingal Head and will continue until 31 March The intention of the program is to capture data across spring and summer to establish how much seasonal wind changes impact on the community. Reports will be available after the program has concluded and will be published on the Airservices website. Page 4

5 Figure 1 Location of Gold Coast Airport. Runway orientation for airport is shown in the insert. Noise monitoring sites are shown as red dots. As shown in Figure 1, the main runway at Gold Coast Airport, 14/32, is orientated northwest to southeast and is 2.3 km in length. The smaller 0.6km long cross runway, 17/35, orientated north to south is primarily used by propeller aircraft. Information about runway selection is available on the Airservices website at Page 5

6 2 Flight patterns 2.1 Jet aircraft Figures 2 and 3 show jet aircraft track plots for arrivals and departures at Gold Coast Airport for one month in Quarter 3 of 2013 (August), coloured according to height (in feet). Noise monitors are shown as grey circles. Noise monitoring was conducted at Fingal Head from September The location is shown as a white circle below. Figure 2 Jet arrivals for the Gold Coast region, August 2013 (one month) The key points shown in Figure 2 are: The approaches to Runway 14 mostly overfly water whereas the approaches to Runway 32 overfly suburbs to the south of the airport. Suburbs aligned with the runway and to the south are overflown by arriving jets at altitudes below 3000ft. Some jet aircraft arriving into Brisbane Airport fly over parts of the Gold Coast region. These aircraft are typically above 25,000 ft and are not shown as they have little impact on noise levels experienced in the region. Page 6

7 Figure 3 Jet departures for the Gold Coast region, August 2013 (one month) The key points shown in Figure 3 are: The departure flight paths from Runway 14 fly over suburbs to the south, south-east and south-west of the airport, while departures from Runway 32 mostly overfly water. Departures to the south off Runway 14 turn to the west and overfly suburbs to the south-west of the airport at altitudes below 5000ft. Departures to the south and south-west from Runway 32 turn to the south over water off the coast before turning to the west and overflying suburbs above 5000ft. Page 7

8 2.2 Non-jet aircraft Figure 4 shows non-jet tracks (arrivals and departures) at Gold Coast Airport for one month in Quarter 3 of 2013 (August). Noise monitors are shown as grey circles. Figure 4 Non jet arrivals and departures for the Gold Coast region, August 2013 (one month) The key points shown in Figure 4 are: Although jet aircraft tend to operate along defined paths, when smaller aircraft movements are included on the map, there are no areas of the Gold Coast region that are not regularly overflown by aircraft at some time. The circuit pattern (flight training) at Gold Coast Airport is visible as the redorange ring around the airport. The majority of non-jet aircraft operations in the Gold Coast basin are below 3000ft. Some non jet aircraft arriving into Brisbane Airport fly over parts of the Gold Coast region. These aircraft are typically above 20,000 ft and are not shown as they have little impact on noise levels experienced in the region. Page 8

9 2.3 Track density plots A track density plot is a map which displays the pattern of aircraft flight tracks passing over the region around the airport and can be useful in showing the underlying track patterns. The region is divided into a set of small grid elements and the number of flights passing over each grid element is calculated. Each grid element is coloured according to the number of overflights. Figure 5 shows a track density plot for all movements over the Gold Coast for Quarter 3 of The colour coding from green to red represents the range two flight tracks per day to 20 (184 to 1840 flight tracks for the quarter). Areas not colour coded mean the number of aircraft flights on average were less than two a day it does not mean the area was free of aircraft overflights. The grey circles show the location of each noise monitor (EMU). The track plots in the preceding section show that residents living up to 5km of Gold Coast Airport and in line with the airport s runways are regularly overflown by jet aircraft below 5000ft. However, beyond this the regularity of flight path use is not discernible from the track plot display. 3 Figure 5 Track density plot for the Gold Coast region, Quarter 3 of 2013 Page 9

10 The key points shown in Figure 5 are: There are distinct flight patterns that are regularly used for aircraft going to and from the Gold Coast Airport, as well as training circuits around the airport. There is a concentration of flights along the coast. These are mostly general aviation, including helicopters, often operating tourist flights. Two high altitude tracks can be identified (approximately south east to north west and south west to north east). These are associated with traffic overflying the Gold Coast basin to and from Brisbane air space. Page 10

11 3 Aircraft movements 3.1 All movements Figure 6 shows all aircraft movements at Gold Coast Airport for the 15 month period to the end of Quarter 3 of Figure 6 Aircraft movements at Gold Coast Airport from July 2012 to September 2013 The key points shown in Figure 6 are: Aircraft movements have been steady over the last 15 months, with a small increase in jet operations in Quarters 3 and 4 of This was due to airlines introducing additional services in response to demand. Jet movements fell slightly in February (note February is a quieter period for tourism and travel after the Christmas/New Year holiday period), and again during May-June The same pattern was seen in Helicopter movements have been steady at around 500 per month. This represents around 10 per cent of all movements at the airport. March and April 2013 saw a slight upturn in propeller movements at the airport, partly due to flying schools starting the practical elements of their courses in this month. Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9 below show the overall runway usage and the breakdown for arrivals and departures at Gold Coast Airport for the 15 month period up to the end of Quarter 3 of Page 11

12 Figure 7 Runway usage at Gold Coast Airport to Quarter 3 of 2013 Figure 8 Runway usage at Gold Coast Airport to Quarter 3 of 2013 (Arrivals) Page 12

13 Figure 9 Runway usage at Gold Coast Airport to Quarter 3 of 2013 (Departures) Figure 10 and Figure 11 show runway usage over a four year period for the two busiest runways (runway 14 and runway 32) at the airport. Runway selection is based on weather conditions, traffic volume and noise abatement procedures. As the wind changes, the runway in use may change as aircraft primarily take off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons. Figure 10 Runway 14 usage at Gold Coast Airport 2010 to 2013 Page 13

14 Figure 11 Runway 32 usage at Gold Coast Airport 2010 to 2013 The key points shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11 are: Throughout most of the year, the wind at Gold Coast Airport tends to be from the south to south-east which means greater use of Runway 14 with aircraft departing to the south and arriving from the north. During the Spring months, the wind tends to be from the north which means greater use of Runway 32 with aircraft departing to the north and arriving from the south. 3.2 Curfew movements Although Gold Coast Airport is operational 24 hours of the day, there is a curfew in place which restricts operations in and out of the airport during the hours of 11pm to 6am the following day. Detailed information about the curfew is available from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development website: The following aircraft are permitted to operate during the curfew (approved aircraft): Jet aircraft that have a maximum take off weight of up to 34,000 kilograms and comply with regulations for noise levels. Propeller-driven aircraft that have a maximum take off weight of up to 34,000 kilograms and comply with noise requirements. Any aircraft that received taxi clearance by Air Traffic Control (ATC), or started taxiing for take off when ATC is not available, before the curfew period starts. An aircraft involved in an emergency, or a flight interrupted by an emergency. Emergency includes aircraft being used for search and rescue, urgent medical flights or natural disaster, security or safety, insufficient fuel or inflight emergency. Aircraft using Gold Coast Airport as an alternate airport. Page 14

15 A quota system, which is managed by the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, operates for specified movements during the curfew period: 24 movements (with restrictions) by domestic passenger jets each year Four jet freight movements (maximum) each week Figure 12 below shows aircraft movements during curfew hours at Gold Coast Airport from July 2012 to September 2013 by curfew category. Figure 12 Curfew movements (11pm to 6am) at Gold Coast Airport by Curfew Category July 2012 to September 2013 NB: Data in this graph is likely to change in future reports as information about operations currently categorised as other becomes available, allowing them to be allocated to specific categories. The key points shown in Figure 12 are: Curfew movements at Gold Coast Airport are relatively few in number on average less than one per night. The majority of movements during the curfew period are approved aircraft. Page 15

16 Figure 13 below shows the runways used by aircraft during the curfew hours. Figure 13 Curfew movements (11pm to 6am) at Gold Coast Airport by Runway Usage July 2012 to September 2013 The key points shown in Figure 13 are: During curfew periods, Runway 14 is used more than Runway 32 in line with Noise Abatement Procedures. Helicopter operations from Gold Coast Airport at night are not common (15 movements during curfew hours during the quarter.) The spike in movements on Runway 14 in June 2013 were all approved aircraft permitted to operate during curfew hours. Page 16

17 4 Noise monitoring Airservices collects noise and operational data from environmental monitoring units (EMUs) around the Gold Coast Airport. This data can be expressed in a number of ways, to show average noise during a period, background noise levels and number of noise events over a certain threshold. Sound is measured on a logarithmic scale with the decibel (db(a)) as the unit of measure. The sound levels of typical daytime urban-based activities can vary between 40dB(A) and 80dB(A). Figures 14 and 15 show data from the two Gold Coast Airport noise monitors for the last 15 months. The terms used within each of these figures are: N65: The average number of daily noise events caused by aircraft that are over 65dB(A) Figures for N70, N80 and N90 are also provided. Page 17

18 Figure 14: Average daily noise events at EMU 1 (Tugun) from Quarter 3 of 2012 to Quarter 3 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 14 and departures from Runway 32) The key points shown on Figure 14 are: The number of N80 noise events recorded by EMU 1 rose in Quarter 2 of Airservices investigated possible causes and, as a result, replaced the microphone. Readings from this monitor will continue to watched closely in future quarters. Page 18

19 Figure 15: Average daily noise events at EMU 3 (Banora Point) from Quarter 3 of 2012 to Quarter 3 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 32 and departures from Runway 14) The key points shown in Figure 15 are: The number of noise events captured follows the arrival patterns of Runway Fingal Head noise monitoring Noise monitoring was conducted at Fingal Head from the beginning of September The data for that month is shown in Table 1 below. Note: a graph will be used in future reports when more data available. Table 1 Average daily noise events at Fingal Head from September 2013 Average Daily Noise Events (September 2013) N N N N Page 19

20 5 Complaints data Airservices manages complaints and enquiries about aircraft noise and operations through its Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS). Complaints, enquiries and requests for information about aircraft operations received by the NCIS are collected and stored in a database for the purpose of complaint management, analysis of issues and identification of causal factors. Each complaint, enquiry or request for information is referred to as a contact and each person who makes contact with the NCIS is referred to as a client. 5.1 NCIS Clients by suburb The NCIS received contacts from 84 clients for the Gold Coast Airport during Quarter 3 of Client density maps are used to show the number of clients from each suburb, with suburbs coloured according to show many clients had contacted the NCIS. The data does not include clients who contacted the airport directly. Table 2 provides a breakdown of clients from July to September Figure 16 shows client density with sample flight tracks overlaid for Gold Coast Airport for Quarter 3 of Table 2 Recorded Clients July to September 2013 Suburbs Clients Banora Point 24 Bilinga 2 *Briagalong, VIC 1 Broadbeach 2 Broadbeach Waters 1 Byron Bay 1 Chinderah 1 Coolangatta 1 East Banora Point 1 Fingal Head 32 *Guerilla Bay, NSW 2 Kings Forest 1 Kingscliff 3 Surfers Paradise 1 Tugun 3 Tumbulgum 1 Tweed Heads 3 Tweed Heads South 3 Tweed Heads West 1 Total 84 *One client from Briagalong, Victoria and 2 clients from Guerilla Bay, NSW were holidaying in Fingal Head and complained about aircraft operations overhead. Page 20

21 Figure 16: Client density by suburb with an overlay of tracks for sample period 2 to 8 September 2013 for the Gold Coast region Arrivals Departures Local operations including circuits The key points shown in Figure 16 are: The two suburbs with the highest number of NCIS clients, Fingal Head and Banora Point, are both located to the south of the airport and are affected by noise from departures from Runway 14. Banora Point is also affected by arrivals to Runway 32. Page 21

22 5.2 Issues raised by NCIS clients Figure 17 below shows the top five issues raised for Gold Coast Airport by NCIS clients during the 15 month period 1 July 2012 to 30 September A single contact can involve multiple issues (i.e. a client may have raised more than one issue when they contacted the NCIS). During this 15 month period, the issues raised by the greatest number of clients were: Jet Aircraft, Aircraft Height, Runway 14 Departure, Increased Frequency of Air Traffic and Runway 32 Arrivals. 15 Month Trend - Top 5 Issues Jet Aircraft Number of Clients raising issues Runway 32 Arr Runway 14 Dep Aircraft Height Increased Frequency Of Air Traffic 0 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Jet Aircraft Aircraft Height Runway 14 Dep Increased Frequency Of Air Traffic Runway 32 Arr Figure 17 Top five issues for Gold Coast Airport for the 15 month period, July 2012 to September 2013 The key points shown in Figure 17 are: The number of clients raising the top 5 issues over the last 15 months has gradually been declining with the exception of the increased frequency of traffic. Page 22

23 6 Airservices update 6.1 Improving Noise Outcomes Airservices has developed a process to investigate aircraft noise improvements across Australia. Working with the community and the aviation industry, Airservices will assess the benefits of noise improvement proposals and implement them if feasible. The process has been developed with the support of the Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development and the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman. A key objective is to work with communities to identify opportunities for noise improvements, particularly through Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACGs) or similar airport consultation forums. Airservices will assess the potential safety, efficiency and environmental impacts of proposals. We will seek community views throughout this process to help inform decisions. Safety remains our top priority and any change must meet rigorous Air Traffic Control requirements. This means it may not be possible to implement some proposals. Airservices will only implement a new procedure or a trial after a comprehensive community engagement process, including consultation with community forums. We will discuss potential changes with the aviation industry and publish details of any changes to procedures or trials on its website. 6.2 Noise improvements implemented Appendix 1 provides details of noise improvements as outlined in previous reports that have been implemented in the Gold Coast and others that are in progress. 6.3 Noise improvement opportunities Golf Course flight path Airservices has responded to requests by communities south of* the airport to explore the realignment of Runway 14 departures down the middle of the Banora Point Golf Course instead of over adjacent residential areas. Recent developments in aircraft flight management systems means this is now more feasible than it was several years ago. The new flight path has been designed and consultation with airlines and air traffic control is proceeding. The next steps include an environmental assessment, community feedback on the proposal, and a trial period. Nothing will change until community consultation has taken place. 6.4 Community meetings Airservices attends Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG) meetings to provide information to the community and assist in discussions on aviation matters. Appendix 1 provides a summary of issues raised by Airservices at CACG meetings since October Page 23

24 7 Contact us To lodge a complaint or make an enquiry about aircraft operations, you can: go to WebTrak ( use our online form ( telephone (freecall) or (local call Sydney) fax (02) write to, Noise Complaints and Information Service, PO Box 211, Mascot NSW Airservices welcomes comments about this report. Please contact us via at community.relations@airservicesaustralia.com if you would like to provide feedback. Page 24

25 Appendix 1 Airservices update Noise Improvements Implemented Virgin Australia early turns Complainants living in Banora Point had raised the issue of Virgin Australia Boeing 737s making early turns over residential areas on departure from Runway 14. Airservices Noise Complaints and Information Service investigated the complaints and confirmed this was occurring. Virgin Australia subsequently discovered a variation with the way some crews were entering data into the aircraft s flight management system and issued a crew notice to correct this. Since the notice took effect there have been no further complaints from residents on this matter. Airservices updates provided at the Gold Coast Airport Community Aviation Consultative Group meetings 24 September 2013 Airservices underlined its commitment to the new Noise Improvement Plan introduced at the March CACG by announcing that a short term monitoring program was underway at several locations around the Gold Coast. The majority of locations had been suggested by individuals or community groups. A further short-term monitoring program is scheduled in January Airservices also outlined improvements being made to the quarterly Aircraft Noise Information Reports, some of which had been suggested by community groups. 25 March 2013 Airservices gave an overview of the new Noise Improvement Plan intended to give an early indication of the feasibility of possible noise improvements suggested by communities, the industry or air traffic control. Airservices also outlined one of the first of these proposed improvements the realignment of the Runway 14 departure track down the middle of the Banora Point Golf Course to avoid over-flying residential areas. There was a general discussion about the realignment of the procedure for Runway 32 departures to the south which is designed to take aircraft over water as soon as possible before turning south to track two miles off the coast. 8 November 2012 Airservices gave a presentation of the EMU Review and provided a link to the Airservices website where the review can be found. Community representatives were asked to provide recommendations of where short term monitors could be placed for future monitoring programs. The timing of when Smart Tracking would be fully implemented at the Gold Coast. Airservices advised this technology is already used by Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand since Page 25