Posted on

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.

Posted on

What was that flight?

WebTrak is a tool that enables the community to see where aircraft fly and explore historical trends and patterns. WebTrak is provided by Envirosuite.

WebTrak uses information from air traffic control radars to display aircraft movements. The flight search and display function allows you to view aircraft flight activity over metropolitan areas. You can also:

  • locate your street address and have your home appear on the map
  • see noise levels of individual aircraft
  • view information about aircraft type, height, origin and destination
  • display an aircraft’s flight path and point of closest approach to your home
  • zoom in and out down to street level.

Note that there is a slight delay on the display of flights.

You can view WebTrak for your region here.

Or, find out more information about WebTrak and how to use it

Posted on

How frequent are flights in my area?

There are a number of factors that influence the frequency of flights.

Firstly, 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. This is particularly the case around Christmas, Easter, school holidays and Lunar New Year.

Secondly, the runway in use at any given time will also vary, largely due to the wind conditions. Each runway has its own set of flight paths, and each flight path will affect different areas. As the runway in use changes, the flight paths change, and so too do the areas affected by aircraft movements.

This chart shows the total number of flights each hour over the month, compared to the average for last year. Change the selected month to see how it has varied.

View full screen
Posted on

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.

Posted on

How high are aircraft near me?

The altitudes of aircraft over your area can vary according to:

  • the airport the flight is coming from or going to
  • whether the aircraft is arriving, departing or in level flight
  • the specific requirements of the flight path
  • the need for air traffic control to maintain vertical separation between aircraft.

Find out more on our What are the rules about altitudes? page.

View full screen
Posted on

How many aircraft fly near me?

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.

View full screen
Posted on

Will flights increase in the future in my area?

Flight Path and Airspace Changes

Visit Engage Airservices to engage with our program of flight path and airspace changes.

Airport Master Plans

Airport Master Plans provide a blueprint for the future development of an airport over a twenty year period. They include information on forecast growth, airport terminals and facilities, runways and flight paths.

Who is responsible for master planning?

Airports are responsible for producing the master plan, while the overall process is administered and regulated by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

Gold Coast Airport

The Gold Coast Airport Master Plan can be found on the Gold Coast Airport website.

Posted on

Sunshine Coast complaints report

We manage complaints and enquiries about aircraft noise and operations through our Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS). The information below is collected for the purpose of complaint management, analysis of issues and identification of causal factors.

For this reason we refer to ‘complainants’ and ‘issues’. Complainants are people who contacted us. While some people submitted enquiries or comments rather than complaints, all are referred to as “complainants”. Issues are the primary concern they raised.

The complaints report

Use this interactive tool to explore the issues raised by residents from different suburbs. For help, click the button in the bottom right-hand corner.

This report is best viewed in full screen mode.

Read an explanation of issues and classifications used in complaint reporting.

View full screen

Posted on

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 .