Preliminary flight paths for a single runway at Western Sydney airport will be made public around the middle of next year, says the Australian Government.
An Environment Impact Statement (EIS) will go on exhibition and invite community feedback to help guide the final design.
Flight paths for the airport are being designed by a team of experts, guided by the 12 airspace design principles from the Western Sydney Airport plan.
The principles, which reflect community and industry feedback on the stage one EIS from 2015-16, focus on safety, efficiency and capacity, while minimising impacts on the community and the environment.
Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government, says designing flight paths for any airport is complex, and requires a thorough process to ensure that it balances competing needs from the community, industry and existing airspace users, while maintaining safety as the top priority.
“I am committed to ensuring the community are fully consulted on the impacts of the flight paths and that views are carefully considered as part of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scheduled for release in mid 2023,’’ Ms King says.
“In addition to setting out the preliminary flight paths, the EIS will help the community to understand the forecast environmental impacts from the flight paths, including aircraft noise and potential impacts on air quality, greenhouse gases and wildlife.
“The community will be invited to provide feedback on the flight paths during the public exhibition period, scheduled to begin in mid-2023.’’
From 2024 and until the airport opens in late 2026 flight paths phase three will be completed.
This will include refining flight path design and noise amelioration program in response to feedback received during the public exhibition next year.
As part of the process, CASA, the aviation authority, will consider airspace change proposals and validate flight paths for Western Sydney International.
The changes to airspace will be made incrementally leading up to the scheduled opening of the new airport in late 2026.
