Perth Basin Aircraft Noise Information Report Quarter 2 2013 (April to June)

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Version Control

Version Number Detail Prepared by Date

1 - Environment /07/2013

2 Community Relations 9 August 2013

© Airservices Australia. All rights reserved.

This report contains a summary of data collected over the specified period and is intended to convey the best information available from the NFPMS at the time. The system databases are to some extent dependent upon external sources and errors may occur. All care is taken in preparation of the report but its complete accuracy can not be guaranteed. Airservices Australia does not accept any legal liability for any losses arising from reliance upon data in this report which may be found to be inaccurate.

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Perth Basin - Aircraft Noise Information Report Contents

1 PURPOSE 4

1.1 Perth Airport 4

1.2 Jandakot Airport 4

1.3 Aircraft noise monitoring in Perth 4

2 FLIGHT PATTERNS 6

2.1 Jet aircraft 6

2.2 Non jet aircraft 9

2.3 Track density plots 11

3 AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS 13

3.1 Perth Airport 13

3.2 Jandakot Airport 18

4 NOISE MONITORING 19

5 COMPLAINTS DATA 27

5.1 NCIS Clients by suburb 27

5.2 Issues raised by NCIS clients 33

6 IMPROVING NOISE OUTCOMES 36 6.1 Noise improvements implemented 34 6.2 Noise improvement opportunities 35 6.3 Noise improvement opportunities investigated but not implemented 35 6.4 Community meetings 36 7 CONTACT US 36

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1 Purpose This report summarises data for Quarter 2 of 2013 (April to June) primarily from Airservices Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System (NFPMS) and Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS) for the Perth basin (including Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport) as well as some other sources (such as the Flight Charging System).

1.1 Perth Airport Perth Airport is located 11km east of the central business precinct on the Perth Plains, approximately midway between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Range (see Figure 1). The majority of operations at Perth Airport are international and domestic regular passenger services, mostly medium to large jets. During Quarter 2 of 2013 there were around 37,000 movements at Perth Airport. More information about Perth Airport is available from the Airservices website at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/airport-information/.

1.2 Jandakot Airport Located 14km south of the central business precinct (see Figure 1), Jandakot Airport is a major flight training airport. A large proportion of its operations involve circuit training1. Essential service organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Police Air Support Unit and the Conservation and Land Management Bushfire Water Bombers also operate out of Jandakot Airport. More information about Jandakot Airport is available from the Airservices website at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/airport-information/.

1.3 Aircraft noise monitoring in Perth Airservices NFPMS captures and stores radar, flight plan and noise data. The NFPMS covers eight city regions around Australia. For the Perth region, noise data is captured by six noise monitors - also known as Environmental Monitoring Units (EMUs) – located around Perth Airport (see Figure 1).

1 A factsheet about circuit training is available at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/factsheets/

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Figure 1 Location of Perth and Jandakot airports. (Runway orientation at both airports is shown in the inserts. Noise monitoring sites are shown as red dots).

Figure 1 shows runway configurations at Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport. The main runway at Perth Airport, 03/21, is 3.4 km long, orientated approximately south to north. There is a shorter 2.2km long cross runway, 06/24, orientated approximately south-west to north-east, which is used by both propeller and jet aircraft. At Jandakot Airport there is one set of parallel runways, 06L/24R - 06R/24L oriented approximately south west to north east and one other runway 12/30. Information about runway selection is available on the Airservices website at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/factsheets/.

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2 Flight patterns

2.1 Jet aircraft Figure 2 and Figure 3 show jet aircraft track plots for arrivals and departures for the Perth Basin (including Perth and Jandakot airports) for one month in Quarter 2 of 2013 (May), coloured according to height (in feet). Noise monitors are shown as grey circles.

RAAF PEARCE

PERTH AIRPORT

JANDAKOT AIRPORT

RAAF GINGIN

Figure 2 Jet arrivals for the Perth region, May 2013 (one month)

Key points shown by Figure 2 are:

The jet approach flight paths into Perth Airport overfly suburbs at altitudes below 3000ft, mainly to the south and north of the airport.

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There are some suburbs to the east of the airport that are overflown by jet arrivals at altitudes above 5000ft.

Although primarily a general aviation airport, a small number of jet movements can be identified at Jandakot Airport.

Jet training circuits can be identified at both Jandakot Airport and Pearce RAAF base.

RAAF base Gingin, northwest of RAAF Pearce, also sees Hawk jet and PC9 turbo-prop traffic as trainee pilots conduct circuit procedures and practise instrument approaches away from the main RAAF base.

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RAAF PEARCE

PERTH AIRPORT

JANDAKOT AIRPORT

Figure 3 Jet departures for the Perth region, May 2013 (one month)

Key points shown by Figure 3 are:

Suburbs close to Perth Airport are overflown by departing jet aircraft at altitudes below 5000ft.

Airspace around Pearce RAAF Base is unavailable for use by civilian traffic at some times. However, Airservices is trialling a new flight route that reduces the number of aircraft flying over suburbs to the north west of Perth Airport during the night by making use of Pearce RAAF Base airspace when it is not in use by Defence. Flights making use of this flight path can be clearly seen to the north of Perth Airport tracking over Pearce RAAF Base. More information about this trial can be found on the Airservices website at http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/airport-information/perth

There is a large spread of departure traffic due to departures taking off to the south and turning right to track north. Many of the departing jets that overfly suburbs to the west of the airport are associated with ‘fly-in fly-out’ movements.

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2.2 Non jet aircraft Figure 4 shows non jet tracks (arrivals and departures) at Perth and Jandakot airports for one month of Quarter 2 of 2013 (May). Noise monitors are shown as grey circles.

RAAF PEARCE

PERTH AIRPORT

JANDAKOT AIRPORT

RAAF GINGIN

Figure 4 Non jet arrivals and departures for the Perth region, May 2013 (one month) The key points shown by Figure 4 are:

Although jet aircraft tend to operate along defined paths, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, when smaller aircraft movements are included on the map, there are no areas of Perth that are not overflown by aircraft at some stage. There are no clear flight patterns for smaller aircraft.

Flights below 3000ft tend to be operations to and from Jandakot Airport rather than Perth Airport. This is expected, as the majority of these operations are required to stay below Perth Airport’s controlled air space.

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The circuit patterns (flight training) at Jandakot Airport and Pearce RAAF Base are visible as red ovals on the map.

The circuit patterns can also be seen at RAAF Gingin where PC9 turbo-prop training takes place for both RAAF and Singapore Air Force pilots.

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2.3 Track density plots The track plots above show that residents living up to 15km from the airports and in line with Perth Airport’s runways are regularly overflown by jet aircraft below 5000ft. However, beyond this the regularity of flight path use is not discernible from the track plot display. A track density plot can be useful in showing the underlying track patterns. A track density plot is a map which displays the pattern of aircraft flight tracks passing over the region around the airport. The region is divided into a set of small grid elements and the number of flights passing over each grid element is summed. Each grid element is coloured according to the number of overflights. Figure 5 shows a track density plot for all movements over the Perth Basin for Quarter 2 of 2013. The grid size adopted is 200m x 200m. The colour coding from green to red represents the range two flight tracks per day to 20 (182 to 1820 flight tracks for the quarter). If any grid element is not colour coded, the number of aircraft flight tracks passing over that element during the quarter was less than 2 per day on average. The absence of a colour for a grid element does not mean the grid element is free of aircraft overflights. The grey circles show the location of each noise monitor (EMU).

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RAAF PEARCE

PERTH AIRPORT

JANDAKOT AIRPORT

RAAF GINGIN

Figure 5 Track density plot for the Perth region, Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 5 are:

There are distinct flight patterns that are regularly used to and from both Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport.

The majority of flight paths to and from Perth Airport are designed to avoid residential areas as far as possible.

Circuit patterns with distinct entry and exit paths can be identified at both Jandakot Airport and Pearce RAAF Base.

The coastal flight path is associated with training movements. Movements in and out of Rottnest Island can be clearly seen. These

operations do not involve training circuits, however arrivals will overfly the airport before landing resulting in the circular pattern.

A similar, although smaller, pattern can be seen at RAAF Gingin.

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3 Aircraft movements

3.1 Perth Airport Figure 6 shows aircraft movements at Perth Airport for the 15 month period to the end of Quarter 2 of 2013.

Figure 6 Aircraft movements at Perth Airport from April 2012 to June 2013 The key points shown by Figure 6 are:

Jet numbers have shown a small increase over the last 15 months. This is consistent with the long term growth in passenger numbers at the airport, largely associated with ‘fly-in fly-out’ operations to mining areas. There is a small drop in movement numbers for the month of February 2013.

Non jet aircraft numbers have remained steady over the last 15 months. Helicopter movement numbers at Perth Airport are low.

Figure 7 shows runway usage for arrivals and departures at Perth Airport for the 15 month period up to the end of Quarter 2 of 2013. Figure 8 and Figure 9 show runway usage over a four year period. Runway selection is based on weather conditions, traffic volume and noise abatement procedures. As the wind changes, the runway in use may change as aircraft primarily take off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons. Noise abatement procedures for Perth Airport state that when conditions permit, Runway 21 should be used for both arrivals and departures in preference to Runway 03. For arrivals, Runway 24 has equal preference for arrivals with Runway 21.

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Figure 7 Runway usage at Perth Airport from April 2012 to June 2013

Figure 8 Runway 03 usage at Perth Airport 2010 to 2013

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Figure 9 Runway 21 usage at Perth Airport 2010 to 2013 The key points shown by Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9 are:

In summer, the wind at Perth Airport tends to be from the west/south west. Therefore, in summer aircraft tend to use Runway 21, taking off to the south west and arriving from the north east.

In winter, northerly winds are slightly more common at Perth Airport. Therefore in winter aircraft tend to use Runway 03 more, departing to the north and arriving over from the south.

Figure 10 shows aircraft movements at Perth Airport at night (11.00pm to 06.00am) by aircraft type. Figure 11 and Figure 12 show the runways used for night time movements.

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Figure 10 Night movements (11.00pm to 06.00am) at Perth Airport April 2012 to June 2013 by aircraft category

The key points shown by Figure 10 are:

The vast majority of aircraft operating at night are jets, with only a small number of night time propeller aircraft or helicopter movements (fewer than 100 per month).

The number of aircraft operating at night has remained constant (approx. 1000 to 1200 per month) over the last 15 months.

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Figure 11 Runway usage for night (11.00pm to 06.00am) arrivals at Perth Airport April 2012 to June 2013

Figure 12 Runway usage for night (11.00pm to 06.00am) departures at Perth Airport April 2012 to June 2013

The key points shown by Figure 11 and Figure 12 are:

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Due to prevailing winds, as well as noise abatement procedures, Runways 21 and 24 are used at night more than other runways for arrivals, as in daytime. Runway 21 is also used more for departures.

There is no curfew at Perth Airport. However, the trial referred to above which makes use whenever possible of Pearce RAAF Base at night, is designed to reduce the noise impact of departures to the north from Runway 03.

3.2 Jandakot Airport Figure 13(below) shows aircraft movements at Jandakot Airport for the 15 month period to the end of Quarter 2 of 2013. The data point for June 2013 is temporarily removed due to uncompleted data entry process at the report preparation time.

Jandakot Airport Movements

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Circuits

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Figure 13 Aircraft movements to Jandakot Airport to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 13 are:

Fluctuations are due to changes in the number of students enrolled at flying schools at any time, which have no set pattern.

The number of circuit movements at the airport is smaller than the number of other arrivals and departures.

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4 Noise monitoring Airservices collects noise and operational data from noise monitors (EMUs) around Perth Airport. This data can be expressed in a number of ways, to show average noise during a period, background noise levels and number of noise ‘events’ over a certain threshold. Sound is measured on a logarithmic scale with the decibel (dB(A)) as the unit of measure. The sound level of typical daytime urban-based activities can vary between 40dB(A) and 80dB(A). The sound levels in a nightclub often exceed 90dB(A). Figure 14 to Figure 25 below show data from the six Perth EMUs for the last fifteen months (see Figure 1 for the location of EMUs). The terms used within each of these figures are: LAeq 24hr: The continuous equivalent noise level over a 24 hour period, including noise from aircraft and the wider environment. LAeq night: The continuous equivalent noise level over the night time period (hours of 11:00pm to 6:00am) Background L90dB(A) (L90): The sound level that is exceeded 90% of the time over a 24 hour period – effectively removing noise from instantaneous events such as passing aircraft to provide a background level. N65: The average number of daily noise events caused by aircraft that are over 65dB(A). Figures for N70, N80 and N90 are also provided.

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EMU 

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Figure 14: Average daily noise events at EMU 1 (Cannington) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 03 and departures from Runway 21)

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EMU

Daily Average LAeq(24hr)

Daily Average LAeq(night)

L90

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Figure 15: Average noise levels at EMU 1 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key point shown by Figure 14 and Figure 15 is: EMU 1 and EMU 2 are overflown by similar aircraft. However, EMU 2 is

located closer to, and aligned with, Runway 03/21, which results in it recording higher noise levels.

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0.020.040.060.080.0100.0120.0140.0160.0180.0200.0

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Q3_2012

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Number of Noise Events

EMU 

N65

N70

N80

N90

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Figure 16: Average daily noise events at EMU 2 (Queens Park) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 03 and departures from Runway 21)

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EMU

Daily AverageLAeq(24hr)

Daily AverageLAeq(night)

L90

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Figure 17: Average noise levels at EMU 2 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 16 and Figure 17 are: Along with EMU 5 (Guildford), EMU 2 records the highest noise levels of all

the noise monitors in Perth. This is because these two noise monitors are closest to the end of the runways.

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EMU 1 and EMU 2 are overflown by the same aircraft. However, EMU 2 is located closer to, and aligned with, Runway 03/21, which results in it recording higher noise levels.

The small reduction in N65 and N70 events captured in Quarter 1 and 2 of 2013 was due to the small increased use of Runway 06/24.

The gradual increase in background noise levels at this monitor has ceased in Q2 of 2013. Further analysis has shown that background noise levels reduced after preventative maintenance on the monitor on 07/05/2013, where the microphone was replaced. At this location, the background noise level does not have an impact on the accuracy of aircraft noise measurements. The patterns in background noise level at this location will continue to be monitored closely.

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EMU 

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Figure 18: Average daily noise events at EMU 4 (Greenmount) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 24 and departures from Runway 06)

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EMU

Daily AverageLAeq(24hr)

Daily AverageLAeq(night)

L90

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Figure 19: Average noise levels at EMU 4 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 18 and Figure 19 are:

The pattern of N65 and N70 values recorded at this monitor is due to the seasonal variation in use of Runway 06/24.

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0.020.040.060.080.0100.0120.0140.0160.0180.0200.0

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Number of Noise Events

EMU 

N65

N70

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Figure 20: Average daily noise events at EMU 5 (Guildford) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures arrivals to Runway 21 and departures from Runway 03)

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Daily AverageLAeq(24hr)

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Figure 21: Average noise levels at EMU 5 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 20 and Figure 21 are:

Along with EMU 2, EMU 5 records the highest noise levels of all the noise monitors in Perth. This is because these two noise monitors are closest to the end of runways and both are overflown by both arrivals and departures.

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EMU 

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Figure 22: Average daily noise events at EMU 37 (Beechboro) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to

Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures departures from Runway 03)

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Figure 23: Average noise levels at EMU 37 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 22 and Figure 23 are:

that noise levels at EMU 37 are lower than at other noise monitors due to it being further from the end of a runway. This noise monitor is set only to capture those departures from Runway 03 that turned to the west.

The trend in noise events follows correlates with the use of Runway 03. There was a peak in the use of this runway for Quarter 2 of 2012 and

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2013 which coincides with the peak in noise events recorded by this monitor.

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EMU 

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Figure 24: Average daily noise events at EMU 40 (Lathlain) from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013 (captures arrivals onto Runway 06 and departures from Runway 24)

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Figure 25: Average noise levels at EMU 40 from Quarter 2 of 2012 to Quarter 2 of 2013

The key points shown by Figure 24 and Figure 25 are:

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The noise levels at EMU 40 are generally low, due to it being aligned with the cross-runway (06-24) at Perth Airport, which is used less than the main runway.

5 Complaints data Airservices manages complaints and enquiries about aircraft noise and operations through its Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS). Complaints, enquiries and requests for information about aircraft operations received by the NCIS are collected and stored in a database for the purpose of complaint management, analysis of issues and identification of causal factors. Each complaint, enquiry or request for information is referred to as a contact and each person who makes contact with the NCIS is referred to as a client.

5.1 NCIS Clients by suburb The NCIS received contacts from 283 clients for Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport during Quarter 2 of 2013. Client density maps are used to show the number of clients from each suburb, with suburbs coloured according to how many clients had contacted the NCIS. The data does not include clients who contacted other organisations (eg. airports). Table 1 provides a breakdown of clients for Quarter 2 of 2013 for each of the airports. Figure 26 shows client density with flight tracks overlaid for Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport for Quarter 2 of 2013. Figure 27 focuses on circuit training at Jandakot Airport, which is the main subject of complaints at the airport. It shows client density (for Quarter 2 of 2013) with circuit training tracks for a representative week overlaid.

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Table 1 Recorded clients by suburb and airport for quarter 2 of 2013

Suburb Perth Airport 

Clients Jandakot Airport 

Clients  Total 

Ardross  1     1 

Attadale  1     1 

Atwell     1  1 

Balcatta     1  1 

Ballajura  3     3 

Bassendean  2     2 

Bateman  1  1  2 

Beckenham  1     1 

Beechboro  4     4 

Belmont  1     1 

Bentley  3     3 

Bickley  2  1  3 

Bullsbrook     1  1 

Burns Beach  1     1 

Camillo     1  1 

Canning Vale  4  4  8 

Cannington  3     3 

Carine  1     1 

Carlisle  2     2 

Carramar  1     1 

Caversham  1     1 

Chidlow  4     4 

Claremont  2     2 

Clarkson     1  1 

Cloverdale  3     3 

Como  5     5 

Craigie  1     1 

Crawley  1     1 

Dalkeith  2     2 

Darch  2     2 

Darlington  4     4 

Dianella  1  1  2 

Doubleview  1     1 

Duncraig  2     2 

East Cannington  1     1 

East Fremantle     1  1 

East Victoria Park  1     1 

Ferndale  13     13 

Floreat  1     1 

Fremantle     1  1 

Gidgegannup     1  1 

Glen Forrest  1     1 

Gosnells  1  2  3 

Greenmount  1     1 

Guildford  7     7 

Gwelup     1  1 

Hammond Park  1     1 

Harrisdale  2     2 

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Heathridge  1  1  2 

Helena Valley  2     2 

Henley Brook  1     1 

High Wycombe  1     1 

Hocking  1     1 

Hovea  3     3 

Iluka     1  1 

Jandakot     4  4 

Jolimont  1     1 

Kalamunda  1  1  2 

Karrinyup  3     3 

Kewdale  2     2 

Kingsley  1     1 

Koondoola     1  1 

Koongamia  1     1 

Landsdale  1     1 

Langford  4     4 

Leeming  1  6  7 

Lesmurdie     1  1 

Lynwood  1     1 

Manning  6     6 

Marangaroo  1     1 

Melville     1  1 

Mirrabooka  1     1 

Morley  1  1  2 

Mosman Park  2     2 

Mount Lawley  1     1 

Mount Nasura  1     1 

Mullaloo  1     1 

Munster     1  1 

Nedlands  1     1 

Nollamara  1     1 

Noranda     1  1 

Osborne Park  1     1 

Palmyra  1     1 

Parkwood  1     1 

Perth  1     1 

Pickering Brook  1     1 

Queens Park  3     3 

Redcliffe  1     1 

Ridgewood  1     1 

Riverton  8     8 

Rivervale  1     1 

Rockingham  3     3 

Roleystone  6  5  11 

Salter Point  7  1  8 

Samson     1  1 

Scarborough  4     4 

Shelley  9     9 

Shenton Park  1     1 

South Guildford  5     5 

South Lake     2  2 

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South Perth  2     2 

Stirling     1  1 

Stoneville  2     2 

Swan View  5     5 

The Vines  2     2 

Thornlie  3     3 

Victoria Park  2     2 

Wanniassa  1     1 

Warnbro     1  1 

Waterford  7  1  8 

Wattle Grove  1     1 

Willagee     1  1 

Willetton  1     1 

Wilson  7     7 

Woodbridge  2     2 

Yokine  1     1 

Not Specified  4  1  5 

Total  224  51  275 

The key points shown by Table 1 are:

The NCIS received contacts from residents of 116 suburbs in the Perth basin during Quarter 2 of 2013.

Thirteen suburbs have clients for both Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport. The suburb with the highest number of clients for Perth Airport is Ferndale

(13). The suburb with the most clients for Jandakot Airport was Leeming (six),

where helicopter operations are the main issue of concern. Most complaints at Jandakot Airport are for daytime operations. However,

during Quarter 2 of 2013, there was a notable number of complaints about night time helicopter operations.

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Arrivals

Departures

Local operations including circuits

Figure 26 Client density by suburb for Quarter 2 of 2013 with an overlay of tracks for sample period 2 June to 8 June 2013 for the Perth region The key points shown by Figure 26 are:

Canning Vale, directly to the east of Jandakot Airport, is affected by arrivals to Runway 03 at Perth Airport, as well as by circuits at Jandakot Airport.

The suburb with the highest number of clients, Ferndale is located to the south of the Perth Airport and is impacted affected by departures off Perth Airport Runway 21 that track to the west.

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Arrivals

Departures

Local operations including circuits

Figure 27 Client density by suburb for Quarter 2 of 2013, with an overlay of tracks for sample period 2 June to 8 June 2013 at Jandakot Airport (through YPJT CTR) The key points shown by Figure 27 are:

Canning Vale is affected by both circuits and arrival/departures from Jandakot Airport.

Canning Vale and Roleystone are overflown by both Perth and Jandakot airports.

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5.2 Issues raised by NCIS clients Figure 28 shows the top six issues raised by clients in Perth for the 15 month period to the end of June 2013. A single contact can involve multiple issues (ie. a client may have raised more than one issue when they contacted the NCIS). During the 15 month period the top three issues raised were all related to Perth Airport and are: Jet Aircraft, Increased Frequency of Air Traffic and Aircraft Height.

Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-130

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15 Month Trend - Top 5 Issues

PERTH AIRPORT JET AIRCRAFT PERTH AIRPORT INCREASED FREQUENCY OF AIR TRAFFIC

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Figure 28 Top five issues for Perth Airport for the 15 month period, April 2012 to June

2013

The key points shown by Figure 28 are that: There is no clear trend in the number of clients raising issues, though it

appears to be linked to the use of Runway 21 for departures. Overall, there has been a decline in number of clients raising the top five issues over Quarter 2 of 2013 although increased frequency of air traffic remains a concern for many clients.

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6 Improving noise outcomes

Airservices has developed a process to investigate aircraft noise improvements across Australia. Working with the community and the aviation industry, Airservices will assess the benefits of noise improvement proposals and implement them if feasible. The process has been developed with the support of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport and the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman. A key objective is to work with communities to identify opportunities for noise improvements, particularly through Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACGs) or similar airport consultation forums.

Airservices will assess the potential safety, efficiency and environmental impacts of proposals. We will seek community views throughout this process to help inform decisions. Safety remains our top priority and any change would have to meet rigorous Air Traffic Control requirements. This means that it may not be possible to implement some proposals.

Airservices would only implement a new procedure or a trial after a comprehensive community engagement process, including consultation with community forums. We would also discuss potential changes with the aviation industry. Airservices will publish details of any changes to procedures or trials on its website.

6.1 Noise improvements implemented Alternative departure procedure at Perth Airport (Keels trial)

Airservices has implemented a new alternative departure procedure from Perth Airport that reduces the number of aircraft flying low over suburbs to the north west of Perth Airport during the night. The permanent implementation of this procedure follows a trial that started on 27 July 2011 and was known as the ‘Keels trial’.

The new flight path allows additional aircraft to make use of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airspace when the area is not in use by Defence. It involves some aircraft that previously departed to the north of the airport and head out over the Indian Ocean at certain times of the night. It does not apply to all aircraft departing to the north, or change any routes for flights departing to the south.

Most aircraft departing to the north and heading to destinations in the Middle East, South Africa and other destinations previously overflew Beechboro and suburbs to the west of Beechboro at between 2,500 and 4,000 feet (760-1200m). The new flight path sees some of these aircraft take a different route and overfly communities further to the north at between 8,000 and 10,000 feet (2400-3000m).

This additional height reduces the impact of aircraft noise on the ground. It also provides some night time respite for residents in Beechboro and the suburbs to the west of Beechboro.

Subject to further community consultation and environmental assessment, the use of this procedure will also be further expanded to all hours when RAAF Pearce airspace

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is not in use. This will continue to deliver improved noise outcomes for residents living in nearby suburbs including Beechboro, Malaga and Ballajura. Airservices will continue to monitor the impact of the permanent implementation of the departure procedure through noise complaints in order to identify any adverse impacts. Airservices has released a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of this trial – available on the Airservices website at http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/publications/noise-reports/post-implimentation-reviews

6.2 Noise improvement opportunities Roleystone - Trial of modified Flight Path On 22 August 2013 Airservices will begin a trial of a modified flight path for aircraft arriving from the north to land on the southern end of the runway at Perth Airport. Airservices will trial this change for 12 months to cover normal seasonal variations. The flight path will be used more frequently in winter due to the prevailing wind direction. The flight path will move away from Bickley, Byford, Carmel, Martin and Roleystone and closer to Bickley East, Karragullen and Pickering Brook. Airservices will conduct noise monitoring in those general areas to make sure the noise impact is manageable and will keep the community informed of the results. After 12 months the trial will be formally evaluated and a report published for community comment. The consultation process includes actively seeking and responding to community feedback to help inform future decisions.

6.3 Noise improvement opportunities investigated but not implemented Runway 21 Departures Some departures from Runway 21 to northern destinations turn right, then turn right again (to the north) as soon as they reach 5000ft. Procedures which have been in place for 15 years permit this turn over land which affects some suburbs to the west of the airport. As a result of community feedback to the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, Airservices investigated a change so that aircraft continued their westward heading until over the ocean before turning northwards thereby avoiding coastal residential areas. The initial safety assessment was positive and potential noise impacts included a reduction of flights over Nedlands, Subiaco, Floreat, Balga, Scarborough, Stirling, Osborne Park and Yokine. However, further investigation revealed that the change would not be operationally feasible due to an increase in traffic to northern destinations and safety and capacity reasons. The proposal will not be investigated further. South African Airways Climb Procedure Investigation of a complaint from a Dalkeith resident, Airservices established that a daily South African Airways (SAA) flight from Perth to Johannesburg tended to

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overfly the resident’s home at between 3,000ft and 4,000ft whereas other similar flights flew over the same area at around 6,000ft. A review of SAA operations showed that the airline uses a mix of Airbus A340-200 and A340-300 aircraft on this route, both with comparatively poor climb performance compared to other wide-bodied aircraft. SAA were keen to work with Airservices to investigate a potential change to their climb procedure to see if an improved noise outcome for the community could be obtained and a trial of a different climb profile was undertaken on 7 May 2012. Analysis of the data obtained on the trial flight showed that the steeper climb did not improve noise outcomes for communities as the noise from the increased thrust required outweighed any noise improvement from that the aircraft reaching a higher altitude more quickly. In addition, the trial may have resulted in the aircraft spending longer time over residential areas. There are therefore no plans to repeat the trial. SAA advises that it intends to replace the A340-300 aircraft with the newer and quieter A340-600 in the future. Only one A340-200 aircraft remains in their fleet.

6.4 Community meetings At the Perth Airport CACG held on 13 May 2013 Airservices presented an update on the Roleystone and Runway 21 noise initiated change proposals detailed above, outlining the potential impacts on safety, efficiency, the environment, and consultation with the industry and community. Airservices has embarked on an extensive public consultation program in regard to the Roleystone proposal and gave an undertaking to the meeting that a further update would be provided at the next CACG meeting on 5 August 2013.

7 Contact us

To lodge a complaint or make an enquiry about aircraft operations, you can:

go to WebTrak (www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/webtrak/) use our online form (www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/about-

making-a-complaint/) telephone 1800 802 584 (freecall) or 1300 302 240 (local call –Sydney) fax (02) 9556 6641 write to, Noise Complaints and Information Service, PO Box 211, Mascot

NSW 1460. Airservices welcomes comments about this report. Please contact us via e-mail at community.relations@airservicesaustralia.com if you would like to provide feedback.