There is a flight path for aircraft arriving into Sydney from northern ports that brings aircraft through the Sydney heads and southwards down the coast, over water, to arrive on the easternmost parallel runway. This flight path is used when the parallel runways are being used in a northerly direction (“north flow”).

There are times when air traffic controllers need to take aircraft off this flight path to ensure they remain safely separated from other traffic and/or can be efficiently sequenced with aircraft arriving from the east, south and west for landing. When there is poor weather, or in peak periods when there is a high volume of traffic in the airspace, this is more likely to occur.

The image at right shows actual tracks of aircraft arriving into Sydney from the north and travelling southwards to land on the easternmost parallel runway.

When aircraft are diverted from the usual flight path they must be directed over land, and will pass over suburbs such as Rose Bay, Dover Heights and Point Piper. It is not possible to divert these aircraft further east, over the water, because this would create potential conflicts with aircraft that are departing from the easternmost parallel runway and heading north-east. The conflicts could occur because the departures and the arrivals would be at similar altitudes when their paths crossed.

The image below is a zoomed in view of the tracks of aircraft arriving from the north. Aircraft on the usual flight path can be seen flying through the heads and down the coast over water. Aircraft that have been taken off the normal flight path can be seen flying over land.

Aircraft taken off the usual flight path will generally be in the altitude range of 6,000 to 8,000 feet as they pass over the eastern suburbs. This is around twice as high as the jet aircraft that depart over the area.

Air traffic controllers are aware of potential noise implications for the community and do not take aircraft off standard routes unless it is operationally necessary. Unfortunately, when operationally required, this cannot be avoided.

North-western suburbs of Sydney are overflown by aircraft travelling northwards to join the final approach to the parallel runways (flight path A2 in the image at right). This occurs when the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction (“south flow”).

Aircraft on this flight path are being “vectored” by air traffic control. This means each aircraft is being given its own heading and altitude to allow it to intercept the final approach path, while maintaining safe separation from all the other aircraft around it.

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 2500 to 3000 feet in altitude.

The image below shows the actual tracks of aircraft being vectored to join the final approach. The final approach path is the concentrated straight line at the bottom right of the image. This path leads directly to the runway. The image shows the spread of aircraft that is created by the act of vectoring. This spread is deliberate as it is part of the noise sharing strategy set out in the Long Term Operating Plan for Sydney Airport.

Suburbs to the immediate west of Sydney Airport are affected by aircraft arriving to (“east flow”) and departing from (“west flow”) the east-west runway.

Below: east flow (left) and west flow (right)

Sydney’s seasonal wind patterns mean that you are more likely to experience arrivals in the warmer months and departures in the cooler months. This is because aircraft need to take off and land into the wind. You are also more likely to experience traffic in non-peak periods when the east-west runway is used whenever possible for noise sharing purposes. Non-peak periods are generally:

• 6:00 – 7:00am,
• 11:00 – 3:00pm, and
• after 8:00pm.

These times may vary, however. There will also be days when the wind conditions make use of the two north-south parallel runways impossible, and on such days you are likely to experience heavy levels of traffic for prolonged periods.

Arrivals – east flow

Arriving aircraft must align with the runway from a considerable distance out from the airport, and fly straight in. This means that aircraft arriving to land on the east-west runway will always fly over suburbs such as Picnic Point, Penshurst, Hurstville, Bexley and Rockdale. The following image shows actual tracks of arriving aircraft.

Departures – west flow

Aircraft departing towards the west will turn to their heading when they reach 1,500 feet (for jets) or 800 feet (for non-jets). As different types of aircraft have different climbing abilities, they will reach this altitude 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 below.

If the aircraft is proceeding to destinations to the west such as Perth or south such as Melbourne it will maintain the runway heading for longer before turning.The following image shows actual tracks of departing aircraft.

Departures – north flow

When aircraft are departing from the westernmost of the parallel runways, non-jets (turbo-prop aircraft) that are heading for southerly or westerly destinations will turn left after departure when they reach the altitude of 600 feet. This will create a spread of aircraft, taking them over suburbs such as Kingsgrove, Beverley Hills and Peakhurst. This is illustrated in the track image below.

North-eastern suburbs of Sydney are overflown by aircraft travelling northwards to join the final approach to the parallel runways (flight path A3 in the image at right). This occurs when the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction (“south flow”).

Aircraft on this flight path are being “vectored” by air traffic control. This means each aircraft is being given its own heading and altitude to allow it to intercept the final approach path, while maintaining safe separation from all the other aircraft around it.

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 3,000 feet in altitude.

The image below shows the actual tracks of aircraft being vectored to join the final approach. The image shows the spread of aircraft that is created by the act of vectoring. This spread is deliberate as it is part of the noise sharing strategy set out in the Long Term Operating Plan for Sydney Airport.

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.

Altitudes

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.

Prospects for change

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.

There are a number of routes around Sydney used by light aircraft and helicopters.

It is not mandatory that light aircraft and helicopters fly on these routes. As you will see from the images below which show the tracks of actual flights, some aircraft may fly the whole route but others may only fly part of it, joining or leaving it depending on their purpose or destination. Other aircraft may not use the routes at all.

These routes are mainly outside controlled airspace (“OCTA”), that is, aircraft are not being directed by air traffic control. Whenever they fly outside controlled airspace, pilots are following the rules of the air. Our booklet, Guide to our Operations, explains more about different types of airspace.

Pilots using these routes are usually flying under Visual Flight Rules, which means they navigate using landmarks that are easily seen from the air. This does not mean they must fly over each landmark; rather, they use each landmark to be sure of their position.

Most of these routes lead to and from Bankstown Airport, as shown in the images above and below.

To and from the south and south-west

The image below shows actual aircraft tracks. Aircraft inbound to Bankstown Airport are coloured orange and outbound are purple.

From the south-west aircraft track towards Camden and then via the 2RN radio mast and the M7/M5 interchange and Warwick Farm Racecourse. From the south aircraft may track via Appin to Campbelltown Road and the 2RN mast.

If outbound to the south, aircraft will commence to climb to 2500 feet after passing the Liverpool to Parramatta railway line. The M7 motorway is a tracking feature for the turn to the south. Aircraft need to avoid restricted airspace around Holsworthy Army Base so will track towards Campbelltown and Appin. At Appin aircraft must be below 4500 feet to stay out of controlled airspace. If heading for the coast they will fly west of Appin then turn east towards Stanwell Park. By Stanwell Park aircraft must be at or below 2,500 feet to remain outside controlled airspace.

There are a number of routes around Sydney used by light aircraft and helicopters.

It is not mandatory that light aircraft and helicopters fly on these routes. As you will see from the images below which show the tracks of actual flights, some aircraft may fly the whole route but others may only fly part of it, joining or leaving it depending on their purpose or destination. Other aircraft may not use the routes at all.

These routes are mainly outside controlled airspace (“OCTA”), that is, aircraft are not being directed by air traffic control. Whenever they fly outside controlled airspace, pilots are following the rules of the air. Our booklet, Guide to our Operations, explains more about different types of airspace.

Pilots using these routes are usually flying under Visual Flight Rules, which means they navigate using landmarks that are easily seen from the air. This does not mean they must fly over each landmark; rather, they use each landmark to be sure of their position.

Most of these routes lead to and from Bankstown Airport, as shown in the images above and below.

Inbound from west

Light aircraft and helicopters inbound from the west to Bankstown Airport navigate using the Great Western Highway, Nepean Bridge, Western Motorway, Light Horse Interchange and Prospect Reservoir. Pilots will usually follow the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains to ensure they do not stray into the restricted military airspace around Richmond RAAF Base which is located immediately to the north.

Outbound to west

When flying outbound to the west, aircraft must avoid the Richmond RAAF Base military area and will use the towns of Penrith, Glenbrook, Springwood and Katoomba as visual aids to avoid tracking into restricted airspace.

Aircraft may climb to 2,500 feet once they have passed the Liverpool to Parramatta railway line. Once west of Glenbrook aircraft may fly up to 6500 feet.

There are a number of routes around Sydney used by light aircraft and helicopters.

It is not mandatory that light aircraft and helicopters fly on these routes. As you will see from the images below which show the tracks of actual flights, some aircraft may fly the whole route but others may only fly part of it, joining or leaving it depending on their purpose or destination. Other aircraft may not use the routes at all.

These routes are mainly outside controlled airspace (“OCTA”), that is, aircraft are not being directed by air traffic control. Whenever they fly outside controlled airspace, pilots are following the rules of the air. Our booklet, Guide to our Operations, explains more about different types of airspace.

Pilots using these routes are usually flying under Visual Flight Rules, which means they navigate using landmarks that are easily seen from the air. This does not mean they must fly over each landmark; rather, they use each landmark to be sure of their position.

Most of these routes lead to and from Bankstown Airport, as shown in the images above and below.

To and from the north

The two northern routes are shown in the image below. One is via Brooklyn Bridge, the Galston electricity substation, the water tank at South Dural and Prospect Reservoir.

The other route is a designated “lane of entry” that allows aircraft to come and go from Bankstown Airport without entering the controlled airspace of Sydney Airport or Richmond RAAF Base. It is also used by aircraft transiting from north of Sydney to areas south and south west of the city. This corridor of airspace has a ceiling height of 2,000 to 2,500 feet.

The lane of entry runs between Bankstown Airport and Patonga. Outbound aircraft head to Parramatta and past the Prospect to Potts Hill pipeline. Once north of the pipeline aircraft can climb to 2,000 feet. Tracking features include the intersection of the M2 and Pennant Hills Road, the strobe light at Pennant Hills CBD, a covered reservoir at Thornleigh and the Hornsby CBD and railway sheds. The track then follows the eastern side of the M1 motorway (Sydney Newcastle Freeway) and onwards to Patonga.

Aircraft may turn east from the lane at Hornsby and travel towards the coast using the Baha’i Temple as a tracking feature. Once at the coast aircraft may track to Long Reef or conduct a harbour scenic flight or coastal flight.

In the image below the tracks of inbound aircraft are shown in orange and outbound are purple.

Light aircraft routes extend along the coast line, both to the south and north of Sydney as follows

South Route

The southerly route extends between Jibbon Point and South Head. On this route an altitude of exactly 500 feet must be maintained to ensure there is no conflict with aircraft arriving and departing Sydney Airport.

North Route

The northerly route extends east of the coast between the South Head of the Harbour and north to Dee Why. On this route aircraft must remain between 500 and 1,000 feet.

Sydney Harbour is a busy tourist precinct in the air as well as on the ground and there is growing demand for scenic flights. A harbour lane is available for the use of helicopters and seaplanes by day. This lane has been created so that harbour flights can occur without interfering with Sydney Airport arrivals and departures.

The lane follows the Parramatta River from Silverwater to Ryde Road Bridge, Gladesville Bridge, the southern pylon of the Harbour Bridge, past Bradley’s Head and Middle Head, Sydney Heads and then coastal to Long Reef.

Altitudes are restricted to a maximum of 500 feet at some points and 1,000 feet east of the Harbour Bridge. This is to ensure traffic in the lane remains outside controlled airspace. This means aircraft cannot fly higher without contacting air traffic control and receiving clearance to do so.

Wide view

The following image shows were most of these flights originate from and fly to reach the river.

Close in

A closer view of the route over the river is shown below.