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.
Aircraft that fly over the Blue Mountains from Sydney Airport depart from the westernmost of the parallel runways and turn towards the north-west. They are tracking towards a waypoint located over Katoomba. A waypoint is a set of co-ordinates in the air. This waypoint replaces a non-directional beacon which was a ground-based navigational aid that had been in this location since the 1950s.
Departure flight paths are organised so as to efficiently move aircraft onto their routes. The flight path that passes over the Blue Mountains is assigned to aircraft that are heading for destinations to the west, north and north-west such as Dubbo, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Broome, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Shanghai, for example.
While this is not a new flight path, advances in navigation technology used by modern aircraft mean that aircraft are now able to fly flight paths more precisely and this has resulted in increased concentration of flight paths over the years, including this one.
The altitudes of traffic departing Sydney Airport will vary according to which runway the aircraft has departed from because this affects the number of track miles the aircraft has flown before it reaches the Blue Mountains. The more track miles flown, the more time the aircraft has had to increase altitude and the higher it will be over your area.
Altitudes will also vary according to other factors such as the weight of the aircraft and how heavily laden it is. For example, long-haul aircraft departing for Dubai will be much heavier than smaller aircraft heading to Perth or Adelaide due to fuel load and aircraft size and these differences in weight alone will affect an aircraft’s climb rate.
Even the atmospheric conditions at the time can play a part. When the weather is warm, the air is less dense and therefore there is less lift and the aircraft climbs more slowly. Due to these variable factors the altitudes quoted below are not limits and some aircraft may be higher and some lower that the ranges given.
Jet aircraft departing towards the north will generally be within the altitude range of 10,000 to 20,000 feet. Turbo-prop aircraft that have departed Sydney Airport may range from 7,000 to 15,000 feet.
For aircraft departing towards the south, jets will generally be from 15,000 to 25,000 feet. Turbo-prop aircraft will usually be from 10,000 to 15,000 feet.
Many Blue Mountains residents have told us they feel jet aircraft are lower now than in the past. We conducted an investigation into this question, looking at altitudes of aircraft that passed within a five kilometre radius of Blaxland in January of each year from 2012 to 2018. The investigation found variation in altitudes between different aircraft types but relatively little variation within the same aircraft type. The variation in altitudes between aircraft types can be attributed largely to the differing maximum take-off weight of each type. Heavier jets demonstrated a poorer climb performance than lighter jets.
The investigation also found a marked increase in airlines using A380-800 aircraft – from 23 flights in January 2012 to 126 flights in January 2018. As the A380 is the heaviest jet and as the study indicated that they have the lowest average altitude, the increased use of this aircraft type is likely to be a major contributing factor to the community’s perception that altitudes over Blaxland have decreased.
Airservices has investigated whether it would be feasible to move the Katoomba waypoint. The investigation found that this would adversely impact on safety and would not be operationally feasible due to the constraints of military airspace restrictions and air traffic control sector boundary and route segregation requirements. It would also negatively impact on communities closer to Sydney Airport where the noise levels would be higher than those currently experienced in the Blue Mountains.
We collect noise and operational data from twelve noise monitors (Environmental Monitoring Unit, EMU) around Sydney Airport. Noise monitors are listed below according to their location.
Access monthly data on our Sydney noise monitoring reports page.
Sydenham (EMU 6)
Captures arrivals to Runway 16 Right and departures off Runway 34 Left. This monitor is closest to the threshold of Runway 16 Right/34 Left. The consistently high number of noise events reflects the high use of the main runway throughout the year.
St Peters (EMU 13)
Main purpose is to capture arrivals to Runway 16 Left, however it can capture movements from Runway 16 Right/34 Left and departures off Runway 34 Right.
This monitor captures many of the same operations as the Annandale monitor and demonstrates the same seasonal pattern. However, being closer to the runway it captures more aircraft noise events.
Annandale (EMU 12)
Main purpose is to capture arrivals to Runway 16 Left, however it can also capture movements from Runway 16 Right/34 Left and departures off Runway 34 Right.
The pattern of aircraft noise events recorded at this monitor reflects the seasonal pattern use of Runway 16 Right, with generally more events recorded in summer than in winter.
Leichhardt (EMU 36)
Captures arrivals to Runway 16 Right.
This monitor is affected by the same operations as Hunters Hill monitor and reflects the seasonal pattern use of Runway 16 Right, with more events captured in summer than in winter.
Hunters Hill (EMU 116)
Captures arrivals to Runway 16 Right.
The number of noise events recorded by this monitor reflects the seasonal pattern use of Runway 16 Right, with more events captured in summer than in winter.
Croydon (EMU 102)
Captures departures off Runway 34 Left.
The number of noise events recorded reflects the seasonal pattern use of Runway 34 Left with more aircraft noise events captured in winter than in summer.
Threshold Runway 34 (EMU 1)
Captures departures off Runways 16 Right and 16 Left and arrivals to Runways 34 Left and 34 Right
The number of aircraft noise events captured reflects the pattern of use of Runway 34 Left, with more events generally recorded in winter than in summer.
Kurnell (EMU 101)
Captures arrivals to Runway 34 Right and some arrivals to Runway 34 Left
Eastlakes (EMU 99)
Captures arrivals to Runway 25 and departures off Runway 07 and Runway 34 Right.
The pattern of aircraft noise events recorded reflects the seasonal use of Runway 34 Right, with more movements in winter than in summer.
Coogee (EMU 100)
Captures arrivals to Runway 25, departures off Runway 07 and Runway 34R heading to the east and south.
Captures noise from similar operations and reflects the same seasonal pattern to the Eastlakes monitor, however being further east from the airport the number of noise events recorded is smaller.
Bexley (EMU 3)
Captures arrivals to Runway 07 and departures off Runway 25.
This monitor is closer to the runway than the Penshurst monitor, therefore it displays the same trends but records more aircraft noise events.
Penshurst (EMU 2)
Captures arrivals to Runway 07 and departures off Runway 25.
Historically at Sydney Airport there are fewer departures off Runway 25 than the other Runways.
Learn more about monitoring aircraft noise on the Airservices website.
We are responsible for developing Australian Noise Exposure Index (ANEI) contours for Sydney Airport. ANEI contours are based on historical data and show the average daily aircraft noise exposure over the specified period.
The ANEIs for 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2025 are shown below.
Previous reports are available on request.
The ANEI contours were generated using United States Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) Airport Environmental Design Tool (AEDT).
The following key inputs were used to develop the AEDT model:
An airport curfew is a legislated restriction on aircraft operations at a federally-leased airport during a specified time period.
A curfew limits the types of aircraft that are permitted to use Sydney Airport between 11.00pm and 6.00am each day.
While most aircraft operations are prohibited during this period, emergency aircraft, some small jets, propeller-driven aircraft and freight movements are allowed, and, in exceptional circumstances, other aircraft that have been granted a dispensation to land by the Minister. The curfew limits what aircraft can land and take-off and, in some cases, the runways that can be used.
An aircraft may take off after the start of curfew if it received taxi clearance before the curfew began. Under the curfew regulations, a limited number of passenger flights may be permitted to land between 5.00am and 6.00am during non-daylight-saving periods. These flights arrive after the curfew ends at 6.00am when daylight saving is in place, but arrive an hour earlier when clocks are turned back at the end of daylight saving. These flights generally originate from ports where curfews prevent them leaving later.
During the curfew aircraft must take off and land over Botany Bay. The only exception to this is for emergency services. When an aircraft landing at or taking off from Sydney Airport flies over residential suburbs during the curfew it is usually the Royal Flying Doctor Service or another emergency medical flight. This is because these flights are always given the most direct route between the airport and the emergency due to the nature of their missions. You can use WebTrak to identify these flights by their flight number which will begin with:
This curfew applies only to movements that originate from, or end at, Sydney Airport. This means that an aircraft may travel over Sydney during the curfew if it is coming and going from destinations other than Sydney Airport such as, for example, Bankstown or Camden Airports or other aerodromes or helipads.
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.
This tool shows the number of flights each day over your area in the selected month compared to the average for last year. The bottom axis shows the day of the month. Use the drop-down menu to change the selected month to see how movements have varied. Hover over each day to see flight numbers.
*Please note due to technical issues between 19 June and 22 June 2024, flight data may not be accurately displayed. Our supplier is working to resolve the issue. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
New flight paths commenced at Brisbane Airport on 12 July 2020. You can find out more about the new flight paths on our When is each flight path used page.
To learn more about the runways at Brisbane Airport, take a look at our Brisbane Airport Runways page.
The illustration below shows how aircraft typically operate following the new runway opening.
Some changes were made to departure flight paths on 28 November 2024. The North East Flow image below has been updated to reflect these changes. You can view the flight path changes on the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane | Engage Airservices page.
The animation is indicative only and provided for information purposes, on occasions flights may leave these general areas from time-to-time.
Bankstown Airport was established in the 1940s and is a general aviation airport primarily used by general aviation aircraft.
The airport is a base for the NSW Police Air Wing, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, NSW Forests, Greater Sydney Area Helicopter Medical Service, and the Aviation Studies program of the University of NSW. During the summer months large firefighting helicopters are also based at Bankstown Airport.
Bankstown Airport operates 24 hours a day but noise abatement procedures apply.
The majority of aircraft using Bankstown Airport fly on designated routes to ensure separation with other air traffic, including aircraft operating to and from Sydney Airport.
These routes are outside controlled airspace which means that aircraft using them are not being directed by air traffic control. When flying outside of controller airspace pilots are following the rules of the air. Our booklet, Guide to our Operations, explains more about different types of airspace.
The transition between uncontrolled and controlled airspace, such as the are around Bankstown airport, must happen at defined points to maintain safety. These points are often located at local landmarks so they are easily recognized by pilots from the air.
When operating around Bankstown airport it is important to note that:
The following image displays the typical flight paths into and out of Bankstown.
Sydney Airport has three runways. Each runway can be used in two directions. Because flight paths are linked to runways, the runway in use and the direction in which it is used determines which flight paths are used at any given time. When the runway in use changes, the flight paths in use will also change, and different sections of the community will experience overflights.
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 34 Left (34L) when used in a northerly direction and Runway 16 Right (16R) when used in a southerly direction. Runway numbering reflects the runways’ orientation and correlates with degrees on a compass. For example, Runway 34L is 340 degrees.
The main runway 16R/34L (3.9km) is orientated north to south, as is a shorter parallel runway 16L/34R (2.4km long). The cross runway 07/25 (2.5km) is orientated east to west.
Heavy long-haul jets, such as Airbus 380s, and Boeing 747s, 777s and 787s will usually use Runway 34L/16R because it is the longest runway and they need the extra length.
Air traffic controllers select which runways to use based on wind direction, weather conditions, traffic volume and other factors. Because aircraft take-off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons, the wind conditions at the airport are a key factor in these decisions. If the wind at the airport is calm or light, other factors are taken into account. These factors are discussed in more details in our Runway Selection page.
The Sydney Airport Long Term Operating Plan also informs runway selection decisions. Learn more about the Long Term Operating Plan and noise sharing.
Sydney Airport has a curfew that restricts both aircraft type and runway usage between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. During this time departures use Runway 16R and arrivals 34L. Emergency medical flights are excepted and can use any runway required to expedite their journey.
WebTrak My Neighbourhood (left) is an extension of WebTrak that presents historical information about aircraft noise and flight path use to provide an understanding of patterns over time.
Using this tool you can explore arrival, departure or both types of flight paths by month, quarter or year to see:
Access information about how to use WebTrak My Neighbourhood, including a downloadable guide
Visit WebTrak My Neighbourhood – Sydney
Below: a departure flight path ‘swathe’ with tag showing percentage of departure traffic, number of flights and hours of respite for that flight path in the selected timeframe
Below: Click the “i” on any flight path tag to see more detailed data
Below: noise monitoring data tags
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