The inner suburbs of Sydney are affected by aircraft arriving to and departing from the parallel runways at Sydney Airport in “south flow” and “north flow”.

Below: south flow (left) and north flow (right)

Arrivals – south flow

Arriving aircraft must align with the runway from a considerable distance out from the airport, and fly straight in. This flight path is labelled A1 in the top left image. When the parallel runways are used in a southerly direction, (south flow), this means that aircraft on their final approach to land on the easternmost parallel runway (Runway 16 Left) will always fly over suburbs such as Rozelle, Annandale, Camperdown, and Newtown, and those arriving to the westernmost parallel runway (Runway 16 Right) will fly over Lilyfield, Leichhardt, and Stanmore, for example. The image below shows actual tracks of arriving aircraft.

Departures – north flow

When the parallel runways are being used in a northerly direction, (north flow), jet aircraft departing from the westernmost parallel runway (Runway 34 Left) will begin to turn to their heading when they reach 800 feet or 1,500 feet, depending on which track they are taking. As different types of aircraft have different climbing abilities, they will reach these altitudes at different points after take-off and therefore begin their turns at different points in the air. This has the effect of creating a spread of aircraft as can be seen in the image of actual departure tracks below. This flight path is labelled D5 in the image at top right.

Non-jets follow a different procedure and turn very early after take-off before proceeding to the south-west to destinations such as Canberra. This flight path is labelled D9 in the image above right.

This image below shows the actual tracks of departing aircraft:

Most aircraft departing the easternmost parallel runway (Runway 34 Right) turn to the east or north-east after take-off, avoiding the inner west. However non-jets bound for northerly destinations will continue straight ahead after take-off, passing over suburbs such as Newtown, Erskineville, Glebe and Pyrmont (labelled D6 in the image at top right). By the time they reach Pyrmont they will generally be within the altitude range of 2,500 to 4,000 feet.

Learn more about noise sharing and the Long Term Operating Plan for Sydney Airport.

North flow

When the parallel runways are being used in a northerly direction, (“north flow”), arriving aircraft will pass over suburbs in the Sutherland Shire and nearby areas as they make their way to join the final approach from over water, south of Sydney. In north flow, aircraft that are approaching Sydney from the north, west, east and south-west must be directed by air traffic controllers into an orderly landing sequence. The image below of actual aircraft tracks illustrates this complex arrival procedure.

Arrivals from the north

Aircraft that arrive into Sydney from northern ports need to travel southwards across the city to join the final approach that begins over water. Aircraft using this flight path will generally be at altitudes within the range of 5,000 to 7,000 feet when they pass over suburbs such as Sylvania, Miranda and Gymea.

The image below is zoomed in and filtered to show only these arrivals travelling from the north to the south.

Arrivals from the south-west and west

Aircraft arriving into Sydney from the south-west will pass over suburbs such as Barden Ridge and Yarrawarrah before turning southwards and flying over the Royal National Park to cross the coast, as shown in the image below. Aircraft coming from the west will turn southwards over suburbs such as Illawong, Bangor, Jannali and Loftus as they too head towards the coast. All these aircraft will be generally within the altitude range of 6000 to 8,000 feet.

Final approach

The final approach paths are adjacent to Kurnell and Greenhills Beach. When they intercept the final approach aircraft will be at altitudes of around 3,000 feet and will continue to descend steadily to the runway. Aircraft landing on the easternmost runway will be at an altitude of around 1,000 feet when adjacent to Kurnell, while those landing on the westernmost runway will be around 1,200 feet as they have slightly further to fly before touching down.

South flow

When the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction, (“south flow”), jet aircraft departures will be seen and heard by residents in suburbs such as Kurnell, Greenhills Beach and Cronulla. The image below shows the actual tracks of departing jets on this flight path.

In south flow, non-jet aircraft that take off from the westernmost parallel runway will turn right after departure over suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.

Non-jets turn immediately after take-off in order to ensure they remain separated from the faster jet traffic which continues straight ahead.

The image below shows the actual tracks of non-jet aircraft using this flight path. Non-jets heading in a south-westerly direction are bound for destinations such as Canberra, Albury, Wollongong and the south coast. Others heading to destinations such as Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo and Mudgee turn west and north-west after their initial south-westerly turn.

East and west flow

When the east-west runway is being used, some aircraft will fly over the Shire as they travel to join the final approach. These aircraft generally will be between 6,000 and 8,000 feet with most over 7,000 feet. This flight path is shown in the image below.

Suburbs to the north of the airport are affected primarily by aircraft arriving to the parallel runways when they are being used in a southerly direction, (“south flow”), as shown by the flight paths labelled A1, A2, A3 and A4 in the image, below

Arriving aircraft must align with the runway from a considerable distance out from the airport, and fly straight in. The aircraft that fly over the northern suburbs are either travelling to align with the runway and join the final approach (flight paths A2, A3 and A4), or are already lined up with the runway and on the final approach (A1).

These aircraft are well into their descents for landing and are continuing to descend under air traffic control instructions. This means that the altitude of each aircraft will vary according to how far it has left to fly before intercepting the final approach and the altitudes of other aircraft in the area. Aircraft will generally intercept the final approach at around 3000 feet in altitude. In the vicinity of Berrilee aircraft will be generally within the altitude range of 5,000 to 7,000 feet if landing on the easternmost runway or between 5,000 and 6,000 feet if landing on the closer westernmost runway.

While it might seem like the northern suburbs are a long way from the airport, in aviation terms they are relatively close. For example, the flying time to the runway from Hornsby is around five minutes.

The images below show the actual tracks of aircraft arriving over suburbs to the north of Sydney.

The first image is zoomed in on your area:

The next image is zoomed out to show the approach all the way to the runways.

Learn more about noise sharing and the Long Term Operating Plan

Arriving aircraft into Sydney from ports to the south-west and west will pass over your area as they travel to land at Sydney Airport.

Aircraft arriving from the west will fly near townships and suburbs such as The Oaks, Camden and Raby, while those arriving from the south-west will pass by areas such as Thirlmere, Menangle and Campbelltown.

As these aircraft arrive into the Sydney basin they are at average altitudes of 11,500 feet at Oakdale and 12,500 feet at Thirlmere, with the lowest around 9,000 feet and the highest around 15,000 feet. As they travel they continue to descend, and by the time they reach the western boundary of the Holsworthy area they average 6,500 feet.

The image below shows actual tracks of arriving aircraft.

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.