Sydney Airport Curfew

[Bob C]

Hi

I thought that Sydney Airport had a curfew between 2300 and 0600.

So I find it strange that BA15 is scheduled to arrive at 0505, QF2 at 0510 and SQ221 at 0555. I've just spent a few days in Sydney and "eyeballed" each of these flights on the ground well before 0600 on three successive days.

When is a curfew not a curfew ?

Cheers

Bob

[Mick F]

A limited number of arrivals are permitted in that 0500-0600 period, but I believe there are restrictions, such as the ability to land on 34L.

Keep in mind as well, that there is still plenty of arrivals and departures during the curfew, by aircraft that are permitted to operate during curfew hours.

Personally, I think the curfew is well and truly outdated. If you looked at the noise footprint these days compared to when it was implemented, they are nothing like they used to be.

But, apparently holding your seat in your electorate beyond the next election is a much more pressing issue these days....

Mick

[David C]

It's amazing how many members of the public think the airport closes it's doors at 11pm till 6am , and have no idea that the airport remains open and has regular traffic overnight . They are usually surprised to learn that aircraft have been arriving and departing during the night period .... Just shows how misinformed folk are and how quiet aircraft are too .

Dave C

[Andrew P]

the early arrival of a sq, ba, and a qf fight early relates to pre dst days when they used to arrive at 6am but with daylight saving imposed on them they were allowed to come around 5 to keep the same schedules

[Nigel C]

Hi Bob,

This Federal Government link may provide the answers to your questions:

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/environmental/curfews/SydneyAirport/SydneyCurfewBrief.aspx

[Robert.M]

Personally, I think the curfew is well and truly outdated. If you looked at the noise footprint these days compared to when it was implemented, they are nothing like they used to be.

But, apparently holding your seat in your electorate beyond the next election is a much more pressing issue these days....

I agree, modern aircraft are also much more quieter. It makes me wonder when people buy a house under the flight path and whinge about aircraft flying overhead. :rolleyes:

Sadly, votes matter more than common sense these days.

[Brad Myer]

QF freight 146s operate well after 11pm and into the early hours each morning.

[Ash W]

I remember a few years back now arriving on a BA flight that was really early, so what we did was circle over the suburbs of south Sydney for about 20 minutes, before heading out over the sea for an arrival to the North. Nice wake up call for everyone, when we could have just landed and made a lot less noise.

Point being the curfew is pointless and outdated, for arrivals at least when they come in of Botany Bay.

[Grahame Hutchison]

There can be up to 24 international arrivals between 5am and 6am each week, with no more then 5 on any one day. Operations must be over Botany Bay and jet aircraft must meet the strictest ICAO noise standards (Chapter 3).

The Act provides for fines up to $850,000 for a body corporate.

Before the Act can be amended a formal community consultation process must be carried out.

The following aircraft can operate during the curfew :-

BAe125-800B/ BAe125-1000A/ BAe125-1000B
BAe/ de Havilland/ Hawker Siddeley 125 Series 400A/ F3B/ F400B++/ F403B/ F600B**/ 700A**++/ 700B**++/ 800A
Beech 400A/ Beechjet 400A++/ Hawker 400XP**/ Hawker 400T**
Beechcraft 4000
Bombardier BD-7001A10(Global Express)/ BD700-1A11 (Global 5000)/ BD100-1A10 (Challenger 300/350)/ CL-600-1A11 (CL-600)/CL-600-2A12 (Challenger 601)/ CL-600-2B16 (Challenger 601-3A/ 604/604DX/ 605)/ CL-600-2B19 (CRJ100/200)/ CL-600-2C10 (CRJ700)/ CL-600-2D15 (CRJ705)/ CL-600-2D24 (CRJ900)/ CL-600-2E25(CRJ1000).
Canadair Challenger 300/ 601/ 604
Cessna 500/ 510/ 525/525A/ 525B/ 525C/ 550/ 552/ 560/ 560XL/ 560XLS/ 650**/ 680/ 750
Dassault Falcon Mystere 20 series C++/ Mystere 20 Series D++/ Mystere 20 Series E++/ Mystere 20 Series F++/ Mystere 20 Series G++/ 10/ 20C-C5/ 20-D5/ 20-E5/ 20-F5/ 50/ 50EX/ 200/ 900/ 2000/ 7X/ 900C/ 900EX/ 2000EX/
Embraer145/ 145ER/ 145MR/ 145LR/ 135ER/ 135LR/ 135KE/ 135KL/ 135BJ/ 135BJ/ 145XR/ 145MP/ 145EP/ 500/ 505
Global Express
Global 5000
Gulfstream IV/ Galaxy/ 100/ G150/ G200/ G280/ GVI(650)/ 650ER/ GIV-X / G150/ SP/ G300/ G350/ G400/ G450/ G-V/ G500/G550/
Hawker 800XP/850XP/Horizon /900XP/Hawker 1000/Hawker 750
Learjet 24/24A/24B/24B-A/24C/24D/24D-A/24E/24F/24F-A/ 25 /25A/ 25B/ 25C/ 25D/ 25F/ 28/ 29/ 31/ 31A/ 35/ 35A/ 36/ 36A/ 40/ 45/ 45XR/ 55/ 55B/ 55C/ 60
Legacy EMB-135
Mitsubishi MU-300**
Premier 1/1A
Westwind 1121/1121B/1123/1124/ 1124A/1125/Astra SPX

** Grandfathered until 31 December 2022
++ Models of these aircraft which exceed 271 decibels noise total are not permitted to operate. Remaining models in this type are grandfathered until 2022.

[Laurent Sanhard]

I remember last year on a BA flight from Singapore BA15 , 777 300 , before departure pilot advised we would stay on the ground 20mins in Singapore so that we would not arrive before 5am in Sydney , ie , departed 20 mins after scheduled dep time , Pilots must have checked tail winds on the flight route , as we landed 505am in Sydney , coming in from the south over Royal national park , and Kernell etc .

[MarkR]

Loved it when the ambos ran a Queen Air in the early hours of the morning out of Sydney!

A general whinge abut the curfew often pops up on various forums, yet is something of a red herring. IMO, as a former authorized delegate of the minister when it came to dispensations, the real issue is the artificial movements cap at Sydney that stops the airport being used at its most productive levels. Sadly, it goes below the radar for many!

[Kent Broadhead]

I absolutely agree that the movements cap becomes more of an issue as time goes on. I'd rather more flights during normal operations to maintain the curfew against heavies taking off over the city in the middle of the night. And am also happy with some flexibility around adverse events.

Interestingly, there are few scheduled heavy passenger or freight departures in the back of beyond hours at non-curfew airports such as Changi and Schiphol. I can't see the point in screwing with quality of life for the city (and a loaded heavy is still loud on departure) for maybe a couple of flights.

[JamesL]

That maybe true Kent, but that is based on their geographic location and the needs of airlines to arrive in certain locations at certain times.

[Kent Broadhead]

Again, true to some extent - less so with Schiphol than Changi, neither of which have departure flight paths over major urban areas.

But I'd want to be pretty bloody certain that there was a strong, sound economic reason for screwing with the sleep of hundreds of thousands of residents for a handful of heavies at the back of the clock.

[JamesL]

Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth all have departures post 2300, I used to live about 15km from YMML with no real complaint. The noise was audible but nothing that you would realise once you were asleep. There are noise abatement procedures in place to reduce the impact on the local communities aswell.

[Kent Broadhead]

At 15km from YSSY from 34L you have already tracked directly across some of the most densely populated parts of Australia, impacting hundreds of thousands of people. It simply doesn't compare.

[Greg McDonald]

Simple...arrive and depart from 34L or 34R (weather permitting) with a wide track to sea. Unless you live on a houseboat in the bay you shouldn't be affected! :-)

[Robert M]

Arrival slots approved between 5-6AM are also flight specific. For example the QF1 is currently approved to arrive before 6, but if it is delayed and QF12 (example) is early, the slot cannot be transferred.

There are also legal ways to depart well after 11PM but that's a whole different (and more complicated) subject.

R