If you’re under a flight path at the moment and looking to move somewhere different for peace and quiet, you might want to take note. As Sydney prepares to welcome a new international airport, the predicted flight paths from the new Western Sydney International Airport and also Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport have been revealed (note: flights to the existing airport need to change path to make way for the flights heading to the new airport). It looks like lots of us are in for a new dose of daily noise.
The new airport – set to open in 2026 – will be based in the Western Sydney suburb of Badgerys Creek, 50 kilometres west of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (and a 51-minute drive from Sydney CBD). The close proximity of the two airports means that Sydney Airport’s current flight paths will need to be rerouted, with current predictions pointing to even more planes flying over the suburbs in Sydney’s Inner West.
According to the route maps, the Western Sydney suburbs of Greendale, Luddenham and Twin Creeks will be hit the hardest by noise, with Matt Gould, Mayor of Wollondilly Shire describing the proposed lack of curfew at the new airport as "manifestly unfair" on the residents of Western Sydney.
And while those closest to the new airport will be most intensely impacted by the new flight routes, the diverted flight paths will impact residents across the city. At this point, it looks as though Inner West suburbs including Summer Hill, Dulwich Hill, Croydon and Ashfield will see an increase in traffic overhead, and more planes will also be flying over Sydney’s Northern Beaches on their ascent out of Sydney.
Canterbury-Bankstown Council has also expressed concerns about the projected flight routes, seeing as changes to Kingsford Smith’s current flight paths will concentrate flights over suburbs including Lakemba, Greenacre, Clemton Park, Campsie and Belfield.
And, while Kingsford Smith Airport operates with a curfew stopping flights between 11pm and 6am, the new "Aerotropolis" will operate 24/7.
The new airport project is a key part of the Sydney’s development plan, with a whole new city centre set to be built on the doorstep of the airport – the first major city to be built in Australia in more than 100 years. And while it's set to boost Sydney’s economy (projected to contribute a $23.9 billion increase in Gross Domestic Product to the national economy) and connectivity as a global city (it’s set to handle approximately 82 million passengers a year by around 2063), the new airport will bring disruption to Sydney residents.
"Wollondilly residents, particularly in the north of our shire, are going to be copping the majority of these night-time flights because there is no curfew in place,” explained Matt Gould, Mayor of Wollondilly Shire, who is opposing the lack of curfew.
It's important to keep in mind that flight noise can be drastically different between a street and those streets next to it. So although a flight path may be over a particular suburb, sometimes only some parts of that suburb will be significantly affected. You can learn more about the flight path design and potential community engagement opportunities over here.