Departures from the parallel runway – north flow

The eastern suburbs are primarily affected by aircraft departing from the easternmost parallel runway (Runway 34 Right) when the runways are being used in a northerly direction (“north flow”).

Most aircraft departing the easternmost parallel runway turn to the east or north-east after take-off. Aircraft that turn north-east are bound for northerly destinations such as Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. They will pass over suburbs including Rosebery, Paddington and Double Bay. Non-jets bound for northerly destinations will continue straight ahead after take-off over suburbs such as Pyrmont.

The aircraft that turn north-east begin their turns when they reach 500 feet in altitude. 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. This spread can be seen in the image below which shows actual tracks of aircraft on this flight path. The non-jet flight path is also shown heading directly north.

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.

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.

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.

When the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction (“south flow”), aircraft that arrive into Sydney from the south, east and west need to travel northwards to join the final approach path from the north. As they travel northwards some will pass over the eastern suburbs (labelled A3 in the image).

Aircraft travelling to join the final approach 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 (A1 in the image), while maintaining safe separation from all the other aircraft around it.

These aircraft are continuing to descend for landing 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. When they are over the eastern suburbs they generally will be within the range of 6,000 to 7,500 feet in altitude.

The image below shows the actual tracks of aircraft being vectored over the eastern suburbs. These show 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.

The eastern suburbs are affected by aircraft departing from the easternmost parallel runway (Runway 34 Right) and arriving to the east-west runway (Runway 25). Occasionally there will also be departures from the east-west runway (Runway 07) but this is relatively infrequent.

Departures from the parallel runway: north flow

When the parallel runways are being used in a northerly direction, (“north flow”), most aircraft departing the easternmost parallel runway turn to the east or north-east after take-off. Aircraft that turn east are bound for destinations to the east and south. They will pass over suburbs including Kingsford and Maroubra.

Aircraft using this flight path begin their turns when they reach 500 feet in altitude. 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. This spread can be seen in the image below which shows actual tracks of aircraft on this flight path.

Departures from the parallel runway: south flow

When the parallel runways are being used in a southerly direction (“south flow”), non-jet aircraft that take off from the easternmost parallel runway turn left after departure. They turn immediately after take-off in order to ensure they remain separated from the faster jet traffic which proceeds through the heads.

Non-jets using this flight path are heading primarily to northern destinations such as Armidale, Taree, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. After their initial eastward turn they will then turn north towards these destinations.

The image below shows the actual tracks of non-jet aircraft using this flight path.

Arrivals to and departures from the east-west runway: west flow and east flow

In “west flow” the east-west runway is used for arrivals. 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 during this runway configuration will always fly over suburbs such as Coogee, Randwick, Kingsford, Daceyville and Eastlakes.

Sydney’s seasonal wind patterns are such that the east-west runway tends to be used for arrivals more frequently in the cooler months that at other times of the year. At this time of year it is not unusual for Sydney to experience strong westerly winds. In these conditions there is often too much crosswind on the parallel runways, meaning that they cannot be safely used. When this occurs, all traffic may need to use the east-west runway for prolonged periods of time. This usually results in delays at the airport because the usual throughput of flights cannot be attained when using only one runway.

It is relatively unusual for aircraft to depart towards the east from the east-west runway, (“east flow”), but it does occur on occasion when the wind is a strong easterly. As explained above, in these conditions it may mean that the parallel runways cannot be used, resulting in all traffic departing towards the west.

The following image shows the actual tracks of arrivals to the east-west runway in green and departures in orange.

Suburbs to the north of the airport are affected 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, right.

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).

Aircraft travelling to join the final approach 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 3000 feet in altitude.

Learn more about noise sharing and the Long Term Operating Plan

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 Wahroonga is less than five minutes, and less than three minutes from Hunters Hill.

The images below show the actual tracks of aircraft arriving over the northern suburbs. These show 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.

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.

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.