Scheduled aircraft movement numbers

Due to the impacts of COVID-19 there was an overall decrease in scheduled flight operations (typically jet and turbo-prop aircraft) at Sunshine Coast Airport.

A comparison with the most recent available monthly figures show that passenger aircraft movements decreased by nearly 93%, from 810 movements in September 2019 to 58 movements in September 2020 (Source: BITRE.gov.au).

Aircraft destinations

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and border closures most of the operations at Sunshine Coast Airport have been intrastate (within Queensland and therefore mainly flying north) and operated by regional carriers who fly smaller aircraft (such as turbo-propeller aircraft).

During the pandemic the new runway opened and as the new runway is orientated differently to the old runway, this has changed the overall direction of arriving and departing flights.

For more information on the runway orientation and naming visit our Sunshine Coast Airport Runway page.

Arrivals

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Departures

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General Aviation (GA) Operations

As a result of COVID-19 there was an overall increase in GA operations at Sunshine Coast Airport.

The large reduction in scheduled flight operations meant that there were increased GA training opportunities and more pilots were flying using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for recreational and commercial purposes.

While the number of GA operations increased, they continued to operate in similar locations. This is because the majority of small sized aircraft fly VFR, where instead of using published flight paths the pilot flies using visual reference to prominent ground features.

Arrivals

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Departures

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Learn more about GA circuit training operations on our Sunshine Coast Airport Circuits page.

Return to normal operations

These traffic patterns are in a regular state of flux due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the aviation industry.

We do not expect to see a stable, representative traffic pattern for Sunshine Coast until at least early 2021 (subject to airline schedules).

As travel restrictions lift, we expect there will be an increase in scheduled passenger flights and decrease in general aviation operations.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.