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Sunshine Coast Airport circuits

General Aviation (light aircraft and helicopter) operations are conducted to and from Sunshine Coast Airport and aircraft also use the airport for circuit training exercises.

Sunshine Coast Airport aims to limit general aviation activity and circuit training to between 7.00 am and 10.00 pm (unless in the event of an emergency or night time pilot training) to reduce noise during the early morning and night.

Where are the circuits at Sunshine Coast?

Due to the height of Mount Coolum to the north, aircraft will usually circuit on the south side of the runway near Mudjimba, Twin Waters and Pacific Paradise.

When the air traffic control tower is open, controllers may direct some aircraft to circuit on the north side of the runway (near Marcoola) for traffic management reasons.

Circuit training at Sunshine Coast Airport – June to October 2020

Click on the image above to open a larger view in a new tab.

What is circuit training?

Circuit training is the first stage of practical pilot training focused on take-offs and landings. It involves the pilot making approaches to the runway or helipad, touching down and then applying power to take off again. This is undertaken in accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Regulations which are consistent with international practices.

How are circuits flown?

A training circuit consists of five legs – take-off, crosswind, downwind, base and final approach to the runway.

Aircraft take off into the wind, climb to 500 feet and then turn onto the crosswind leg. They continue to ascend to 1000 feet and turn onto the downwind leg. Having turned onto the base leg the descent commences. After turning onto the final leg and lining up with the runway the aircraft will touch down and take off again.

For left-hand circuits, the pilot turns left after take-off and flies anticlockwise. For right-hand circuits, the pilot turns right and flies in a clockwise direction.

A simplified representation of a left-hand circuit is shown above

Learn more about current GA operations on our Impact of COVID-19 on aircraft operations at Sunshine Coast Airport page.

Note: All tracks during the stated period have been displayed. Track colours have been adjusted to show track density. Where aircraft are more concentrated the colour will appear darker.

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Sunshine Coast Airport Community Forum

Federally-leased airports (excluding Mt. Isa and Tennant Creek) have established Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACGs), which provide an effective avenue for local community engagement on airport planning and operations, including aircraft noise. The Department for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications provides guidelines for CACGs.

Non federally-leased airports may also choose to establish CACGs or community forums.

CACG membership depends on the characteristics of the airport and any local issues of community concern however, generally includes:

  • airport management
  • aircraft operators
  • community organisations or representatives
  • representatives from state, territory or local government bodies
  • local tourism and business groups.

Airservices does not formally belong to CACGs, but is invited to attend to provide relevant information and assist in discussions. We engage with CACGs on flight path and airspace changes, as well as technical reviews, such as noise monitoring and noise abatement procedures.

Find out more information on the Sunshine Coast Airport Community and Aviation Forum webpage.

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Gold Coast noise monitoring report

Use this interactive tool to explore monthly noise monitoring data.

This report is best viewed in full screen mode.

To learn more about noise monitor terminal locations visit our Gold Coast Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System page.

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Explore detailed data for your area

Use this interactive tool to explore detailed data for your area in the month of your choice.

This report is best viewed in full screen mode.

View full screen
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Gold Coast Airport Community Forum

Federally-leased airports (excluding Mt. Isa and Tennant Creek) have established Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACGs), which provide an effective avenue for local community engagement on airport planning and operations, including aircraft noise. The Department for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications provides guidelines for CACGs.

Non federally-leased airports may also choose to establish CACGs or community forums.

CACG membership depends on the characteristics of the airport and any local issues of community concern however, generally includes:

  • airport management
  • aircraft operators
  • community organisations or representatives
  • representatives from state, territory or local government bodies
  • local tourism and business groups.

Airservices does not formally belong to CACGs, but is invited to attend to provide relevant information and assist in discussions.  We engage with CACGs on flight path and airspace changes, as well as technical reviews, such as noise monitoring and noise abatement procedures.

Find out more information on the Gold Coast Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group webpage .

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Gold Coast Airport Runway

Gold Coast Airport has two runways; the main runway, Runway 14/32 (2.3 km long) is orientated north west – south east and the smaller cross runway, Runway 17/35 (0.6km) is orientated north-south.

Each runway is referred to differently according to in which direction it is being used, as explained in the following video.

For example the main runway is known as Runway 32 when used in a northerly direction and Runway 14 when used in a southerly direction. Runway numbering reflects the runways’ orientation and correlates with degrees on a compass. Runway 32 is 320 degrees.

Runway selection and seasonal winds

Runway selection is based on wind direction, weather conditions, traffic volume and other factors. Aircraft primarily take-off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons. Therefore, as the wind direction changes the runway in operation may also change depending on the strength of the wind.

This means that Gold Coast’s seasonal wind patterns affect usage of the different runway directions. 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.

Gold Coast Airport also operates a Curfew that restricts some aircraft operations during the night.

To learn more about the flight paths at Gold Coast Airport, take a look at our Gold Coast Airport flight paths page.

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Gold Coast curfew and noise abatement procedures

Airport curfew

An airport curfew is a legislated restriction on aircraft operations at a federally-leased airport during a specified time period.

Gold Coast Airport is operational 24 hours a day, however, there is a curfew in place which restricts operations in and out of Gold Coast Airport during the hours of 11pm to 6am. During daylight saving time the airport curfew operates on Queensland time so New South Wales residents will see aircraft movements until 12 am instead of 11 pm.

While most aircraft operations are prohibited during this period, emergency aircraft, some small jets, propeller-driven aircraft and freight movements are allowed. The curfew limits what aircraft can land and take-off and, in some cases, the runways that can be used.

Curfew movements at Gold Coast Airport are small in number – on average less than one per night.

Curfews are legally enforceable and regulated by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications,  who can make a determination of a curfew violation and prosecute an airline or aircraft operator for breaching a curfew.

Noise Abatement Procedures

Every major airport has Noise Abatement Procedures (NAPs), which are procedures designed to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the community. There are some limitations to the use of NAPs and they may not be used if they generate delay and congestion, as this can cause noise and emission impacts. Air traffic control or pilots may not be able to use them in certain situations, for example weather conditions or operational requirements. 

NAPs at Gold Coast Airport include:

  • runway 14 is the preferred runway for all arriving and departing flights
  • arriving aircraft fly over water for as long as possible before taking their final approach course
  • circuit training is not permitted between 10 pm and 6 am and, where possible, circuits are distributed equally left and right of the runway in use.

Gold Coast Airport also has specific NAPs for the use of the Instrument Landing System (ILS). Read more about these on our The Instrument Landing System page.

A ‘preferred runway’ does not mean that one area (north or south) will get all the traffic, because each area will get either departures or arrivals, not both. In addition, preferred runways can only be used when weather, safety and operational efficiency allow.

Runway 14 (arrivals from the north, departures to the south) is the preferred runway because generally arriving aircraft are slightly quieter than departing aircraft at a close distance to an airport (for example, at Tugun). As the distance from the airport increases (for example, Banora Point and Tweed Heads), departures tend to be quieter than arrivals because they are at a higher altitude. However this is dependent on aircraft type. Individual people will experience aircraft noise in different ways.

Fly Neighbourly Agreements

Fly Neighbourly Advice or Fly Neighbourly Agreements are voluntary agreements established between aircraft operators and communities or authorities (normally airports or local councils) to assist in reducing the impact of aircraft noise on local communities. Gold Coast Airport has a voluntary Fly Neighbourly Program which encourages pilots to fly in a noise sensitive way whenever possible.

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The Gold Coast Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System (NFPMS)

We have commenced a Noise Monitoring Review for Gold Coast Airport.

The purpose of the Review is to:

  • Validate the operation of the two existing long-term noise monitors (Tugun and Banora Point)
  • Consider and assess community suggested locations for a third long-term noise monitor in the Tweed Heads region or another suitable location in the broader Gold Coast region
  • Provide findings to the Gold Coast Airport Noise Abatement Consultative Committee (ANACC)

For more information, including how to participate in the Review visit Engage Airservices.

We collect noise and operational data from two noise monitors (Environmental Monitoring Unit, EMU) around Gold Coast Airport. Noise monitors are listed below according to their location.

Access monthly data on our Gold Coast noise monitoring reports page.

TUGUN (EMU 1)

Captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 14 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 32.
The pattern of aircraft noise events recorded is relatively steady.
Click to enlarge image and use your back button to return to this page.

BANORA POINT (EMU 3)

Captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 32 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 14.

Click to enlarge image and use your back button to return to this page.

Learn more about monitoring aircraft noise on the Airservices website.

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Gold Coast Airport flight paths

Gold Coast Airport has a number of flight paths from its main runway.

To learn more about the runways at Gold Coast Airport, take a look at our Gold Coast Airport Runways page.

The illustration below shows how aircraft typically operate.

The animation is indicative only and provided for information purposes, on occasions flights may leave these general areas from time-to-time.

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Sunshine Coast Airport Runway

Sunshine Coast Airport has one runway oriented North-West to South-East (Runway 13/31) which opened on 14 June 2020. The runway is shown in the image below with orange arrows at either end.

Each runway is referred to differently according to in which direction it is being used, as explained in the following video.

For example, the runway is referred to as Runway 13 when used in a south-easterly direction and Runway 31 when used in a north-westerly direction.

Runway numbering reflects the runways’ orientation and correlates with degrees on a compass. Runway 13 is at 130 degrees and Runway 31 is at 310 degrees.

The existing north-south runway (RWY 18/36) was de-commissioned when the new runway opened. The old runway is also shown in the image below in blue.

Learn more about seasonal changes in your area on our How seasonal variation affects your area page.