Posted on

Gold Coast Airport NAP 5: Curfew

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, Communications, Sport and the Arts, who can make a determination of a curfew violation and prosecute an airline or aircraft operator for breaching a curfew.

The report is best viewed in full screen mode.

Note: Due to rounding, percentage values may not sum to exactly 100.0%. Minor discrepancies of up to ±1% are expected and do not indicate any errors in the underlying absolute figures, which remain accurate and unaffected.

Note: Non-permitted movements are those that do not meet standard exemption criteria; however, this does not necessarily indicate non-compliance, as dispensations or other approvals may have been granted outside of standard classifications. Curfew dispensations can be found here: Curfew Dispensation Reports.

View full screen

Posted on

ILS Report

Noise Abatement Procedures (NAPs) at Gold Coast Airport restrict use of the ILS (Instrument Landing System) except in the following circumstances:

  • when poor weather affects visibility
  • for operational requirements,
  • or during emergencies.

Air traffic control will nominate the mode during periods of poor visibility or in emergency situations. Pilots may request the mode at other times when there is poor visibility outside of air traffic control tower hours, to manage operational issues on board the aircraft or during emergency situations.

The report below provides a breakdown of ILS use based on ATC nomination and pilot requests.

The report is best viewed in full screen mode.

Note: Due to rounding, percentage values may not sum to exactly 100.0%. Minor discrepancies of up to ±1% are expected and do not indicate any errors in the underlying absolute figures, which remain accurate and unaffected.

View full screen
Posted on

Investigation: Departures over Banora Point

In 2016, complainants living in Banora Point raised the issue of Virgin Australia Boeing 737s making early turns over residential areas on departure from Runway 14. We investigated the complaints and confirmed this was occurring.

Virgin Australia subsequently discovered a variation with the way some crews were entering data into the aircraft’s flight management system and issued a crew notice to correct this.

Since the notice took effect there have been no further complaints from residents.

Posted on

Investigation: Altitude of departures over Fingal Head

In 2016, a complainant raised a concern that Air Asia flights varied in altitude, with an evening flight being lower than a morning flight.

Our investigation found that there was an altitude difference, but that this was due to the different destinations of each flight. The morning flight was bound for Auckland, a much closer port than the destination of the evening flight, Kuala Lumpur.

The evening flight therefore carried a higher load of fuel to cover the distance of 6,500 kilometres to Malaysia compared to the 2,200 kilometre distance to Auckland. The weight of an aircraft affects its climb performance and it was this effect being noticed by the complainant.

Learn more about aircraft altitudes on our What are the rules about altitudes? page

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

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 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

Investigation: Southern departures trial

Some aircraft departing from Runway 14 (to the south) fly over residential areas near the airport, including Banora Point and Chinderah. A proposed change to this flight path was submitted to Airservices in 2012-13 by residents groups to the south of Gold Coast Airport. It aimed to reduce the noise impacts for residents by directing jet departures from Runway 14 to the south-west to maximise tracking over the Banora Point Golf Course.

Aircraft commenced flying the modified flight path in January 2015 under a 12-month trial which concluded in January 2016. This timeframe covered normal seasonal patterns and allowed the community to provide their feedback about the trial.

After conclusion of the trial a review was undertaken which included consideration of community feedback received and data from noise monitoring undertaken to determine whether there was any increase or reduction of noise experienced by local residents.

The trial did not achieve the intended noise reductions and also unintentionally concentrated flights over Farrants Hill. Due to this, and in consideration of community feedback, we decided not to implement the trial flight path permanently.

Reinstatement of the original Runway 14 departure procedure took effect on 23 June 2016. This required us to update procedures in compliance with current design rules and limitations. Waypoint locations remain the same, but the waypoint closest to the runway was changed from a fly-by to a fly-over.

Further information about the trial can be found on Engage Airservices website.

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

Investigate flight path usage in your area

WebTrak My Neighbourhood (left) is an extension of WebTrak that presents historical information about aircraft noise and flight path use to provide an understanding of patterns over time.

Using this tool you can explore arrival, departure or both types of flight paths by month, quarter or year to see:

  • the percentage of traffic on each flight path
  • the number of aircraft that used the flight path
  • the number of hours the flight path was not used
  • weekday and weekend use
  • day, evening and night-time use
  • noise monitoring data

Access information about how to use WebTrak My Neighbourhood, including a downloadable guide

Visit WebTrak My Neighbourhood – Gold Coast

Below: a departure flight path ‘swathe’ with tag showing percentage of departure traffic, number of flights and hours of respite for that flight path in the selected timeframe

Below: Click the “i” on any flight path tag to see more detailed data

Below: noise monitoring data tags