The number and frequency of flights will vary on a daily, weekly and yearly basis due to differences in airline schedules. The airlines schedule flights in response to consumer demand.

Busy times of day

The busiest times of day tend to be in the morning and evening as business travellers arrange their flights to coincide with business hours at their destinations.  At these times it is not unusual for flights to arrive and depart every few minutes.

Busy times of the week

Monday mornings and Friday afternoons and evenings are very busy times for Sydney Airport, largely due to business travel.  Sunday afternoon is also a busy time.

Busy times of the year

Easter, Christmas/New Year, Lunar New Year and school holidays generally see an increase in aircraft movements because the airlines will schedule additional flights to meet the extra demand for travel during these times.  You are likely to notice increased frequency of movements during these periods.

During peak periods at Sydney Airport the parallel runways will always be used because using both runways at the same time allows the most aircraft to be moved through the airport.

This means that, when the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction (south flow) during peak periods, your area will experience aircraft noise.

Peak periods tend to be 7am to 11am and 3pm to 8pm, but may also extend beyond these hours.

During peak periods at Sydney Airport the parallel runways will always be used because using both runways at the same time allows the most aircraft to be moved through the airport.

This means that, when the parallel runways are being used in a northerly direction (north flow) during peak periods, your area will experience aircraft noise.

Peak periods tend to be 7am to 11am and 3pm to 8pm, but may also extend beyond these hours.

During non-peak periods for Sydney Airport a noise sharing mode will be used whenever possible. Therefore during these periods you are more likely to experience aircraft noise from aircraft arriving or departing the east-west runway than at other times of the day.

While it depends on the flights scheduled for the day, non-peak periods are generally:

• 6am to 7am
• 11am to 3pm
• 8pm until 11pm

The parallel runways are always used during peak periods for the airport (generally 7am to 11am and 3pm to 8pm, depending on airline schedules). Whenever possible, noise sharing is conducted at other times in order to give residents affected by use of the parallel runways a break.

Find out how frequently noise sharing modes are used with our interactive monthly Sydney Airport Operational Statistics tool, available in the resources section.

The east-west runway tends to be used more frequently for arrivals from the east in the cooler months than at other times of the year. This means that you are more likely to notice aircraft arriving over your area to land on the east-west runway in autumn and winter.

It is relatively unusual for aircraft to depart towards the east from the east-west runway but it does occur on occasion when the wind is a strong easterly. When this occurs it means the crosswind limit has been exceeded on the parallel runways and they cannot be safely used. When all traffic has to use the east-west runway it usually results in delays at the airport and knock-on effects around the country.

In 2016 departures towards the east occurred on six days (in February, March, June, October and November), and in 2017 and 2018 occurred on one day each year (in October and November respectively).

The east-west runway tends to be used more frequently for arrivals from the west in the warmer months than at other times of the year because there are usually more easterly winds.  This means that you are more likely to notice aircraft arriving to the east-west runway over your area in spring and summer.

The east-west runway tends to be used more frequently for departures towards the west in the cooler months than at other times of the year because there are usually more westerly winds. This means that you are more likely to notice aircraft departing from the east-west runway over your area in autumn and winter.

During non-daylight saving periods you may notice some aircraft arriving in the early morning between 5.00am and 6.00am.

While the curfew ends at 6.00am, under the curfew regulations the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development may permit a limited number of passenger flights to land between 5.00am and 6.00am during non-daylight-saving periods. When daylight saving is in place these flights arrive after the curfew ends at 6.00am, but when clocks are turned back at the end of daylight saving they arrive an hour earlier. These flights generally originate from ports where curfews prevent them leaving later.

These early morning flights are required to land from the south, over the water. However they may fly over land as they travel to cross the coast and join the final approach.

An arrival burst of long-haul international flights tends to occur just after the curfew ends at 6am.

Heavy jets, especially those flying long-haul routes, require the use of the westernmost parallel runway for landing, (Runway 16 Right), because it is the longest runway.  The extra length is needed for a safe landing.  For this reason residents in suburbs around the flight path to this runway are likely to notice increased movements in the hour immediately after the curfew.

A departure burst of long-haul international flights tends to occur in the last two hours before the Sydney Airport curfew begins. 

Heavy jets, especially those flying long-haul routes, require the use of the westernmost parallel runway (Runway 34 Left) because it is the longest runway.  The extra length is needed for a safe take-off.  For this reason residents in suburbs under flight paths from this runway are likely to notice increased movements in the hour before the curfew. 

You may notice that these heavily laden jets tend to climb more slowly than lighter aircraft.