New suburbs hit, others spared by proposed flight paths

Proposed changes to Brisbane Airport’s flight paths would redirect planes over Logan suburbs that are currently untouched, while others currently impacted would be spared.

Air navigation service provider Airservices Australia last week revealed potential new flight paths, which were prompted by a 2020 review that saw a wave of concern from the community about aircraft noise.

Airservices’ head of community engagement Donna Marshall said the proposed changes would benefit Logan residents.

One of the changes put forward recommends planes departing over the south-east – currently travelling over Rochedale South, Underwood, Slacks Creek, Daisy Hill, Shailer Park, Cornubia and more – turn off earlier to instead fly over the Koala bushland reserve behind Daisy Hill and only parts of residential Carbrook.

However, flight paths departing to the south-west will not be touched, meaning residents in Rochedale South, through Crestmead and to Stockleigh will remain impacted.

The most controversial proposal would see arrivals that currently fly west from the sea – hitting Daisy Hill through to Kingston and all the way to Regents Park, before turning north towards Forestdale – be brought south.

That would instead target Tanah Merah, Bethania, Waterford and Logan Reserve, before heading north through Park Ridge and Greenbank.

Airservices claims these changes will better share the distribution of noise, so that the same households aren’t being impacted by both arrivals and departures all day and night.

However, an advocacy group called the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) begs to differ.

They argue Logan communities will face an increase in noise exposure with “no meaningful sacrifice or net reductions from Airservices, the airport or airlines”.

QUT professor and BFPCA chairperson Marcus Foth said Airservices was “shifting the burden onto new suburbs to maximise airport throughput”.

“It’s unjust, unscientific, and lacks any transparency,” he said

“Logan residents have every right to be angry. These changes have no evidence base, no real noise abatement, and no long-term planning. Unlike Sydney, families and communities in 220-plus suburbs across greater Brisbane, including Logan, have been given no protection – just broken promises.

“Until there is a night-time curfew, a flight cap, and proper accountability, Brisbane’s flight path problem won’t be solved – it will just keep moving from one community to another.”

Residents can inspect the flight maps for themselves via engage.airservicesaustralia.com/baseline-model.

Locals can also chat through the proposals with Airservices representatives at two consultation sessions in the coming week, including at the Greenbank Community Centre from 12-6pm on 23 July, and the KP Centre in Shailer Park from 12-6pm on 30 July.

Community feedback is open until 17 August via the Airservices website, in writing, or email.

“Airservices is eager to speak to as many people as possible on these flightpath options,” Ms Marshall said.

“Community feedback has already helped shape a number of preferred options. We are listening to residents who’ve consistently called for fairer distribution of aircraft noise, and we’re dedicated to incorporating community feedback into our final planning.”