While care has been taken that the data in this noise portal is accurate and up-to-date, it is illustrative or conceptual and provided for information purposes only.
Information received via this noise portal should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal or financial decisions.
To the extent permitted by law, you release Perth Airport from all liability (including negligence) for any use of, or reliance on this information, by you or any other party.
Perth Airport cannot guarantee (and makes no representation as to) the accuracy of this information, including the location of current or future flight paths around Perth Airport.
The information provided herein relates to current and future matters and is based on modelling of various data sets covering 2014-2016 and certain assumptions.
This data represents historical and forecast aircraft movements and indicative flights paths and levels. This will change from time to time.
By continuing to the site you are agreeing to these “Terms of Use”.
Welcome to the Perth Airport aircraft noise information portal.
Perth Airport only has direct control over the management of ground-based aircraft noise. Watch this video to hear about the other organisations responsible for managing aircraft noise, including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Airservices Australia and Perth Airport, and how Perth Airport keeps the community informed.
Organisation
Roles and Responsibilities
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
Establishes strict noise certification standards for new aircraft
Provides guidance on noise management strategy
Australia is a member state of ICAO
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
Independent statutory authority with responsibility for regulation of civil aviation operations in Australia
Provides overriding consideration to air safety
Responsible for airspace regulation through the Office of Airspace Regulation
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development
Advises the Federal Government on the policy and regulatory framework for Australian airports and the aviation industry
Provides policy advice to the Minister on the management of aircraft noise
Provides regulatory oversight of the Air Navigation (Aircraft Noise) Regulations 1984 as they apply to aircraft which do not meet Australian aircraft noise standards
Airservices Australia
Provides Air Traffic Control (ATC) services
Manages and maintains aircraft navigation, surveillance, and noise monitoring infrastructure
Establishes flight paths at Perth Airport
Manages noise complaints and enquiries through the Noise Complaints and Information Service
Provides information on aircraft movements, runway and flight path usage and noise impacts using a range of noise descriptors
Conducts noise monitoring in communities surrounding Perth Airport
Reviews and endorses the Perth Airport ANEF for technical accuracy
Airlines and aircraft operators
Operate and maintain aircraft that meet the ICAO noise certification requirements
Implement noise abatement procedures principles for flight operations
Aircraft Noise Ombudsman (ANO)
Oversees the handling of aircraft noise enquiries and complaints by Airservices
Conducts independent reviews of noise complaint handling
Makes recommendations for improvements and changes where necessary and feasible
State and Local Government
State Government develop land use planning frameworks to prevent developments that are inappropriate having regard to aircraft noise
Local Governments implement State Government land use planning frameworks
Perth Airport
Manages operations at the airport
Develops and maintains infrastructure to support aircraft operations
Publishes a Master Plan with associated ANEF at least every five years
Develops a management plan for managing aircraft noise intrusion in areas forecast to be subject to exposure above significant ANEF levels
Applies an engine ground run management plan
Engages with the Perth Airport Community Forum (PACF), previously the Perth Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG), the Planning Coordination Forum and the Perth Airport Aircraft Noise Technical Working Group and broader community
Perth Airport Community Forum (PACF)
The Perth Airport Community Forum (PACF), previously referred to as the Perth Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG), works collaboratively to recognise and enhance:
the long-term sustainability and growth of Perth Airport
Perth Airport’s reputation as a responsible corporate citizen within the local and broader
community, and
Perth Airport’s role as a major economic contributor for Western Australia
Planning Coordination Forum (PCF)
Supports effective engagement between Perth Airport and Government agencies on strategic planning issues, including land use and aircraft noise impacts
Perth Airport Technical Noise Working Group
Enables industry to initiate and evaluate operational changes while ensuring that the noise impact of those changes is considered and opportunities to improve noise outcomes are explored
The New Runway Project Major Development Plan has recently been released, this document not only provides information on aircraft noise (similar to what you will find on this website) but details how the new runway will be constructed and operated.
Detailed information on how the new runway will operate can now be found at newrunway.com.au.
The need for an additional runway at Perth Airport was first recommended more than 40 years ago by a joint Commonwealth and State Government Committee investigating Perth’s planning requirements.
The new runway is expected to be operational between 2023 and 2028, subject to actual demand and a commercial agreement with airlines being reached. The new runway will be 3,000 metres long and located parallel to the existing main runway.
Perth Airport is located in some of the most complex airspace in Australia. Extensive consultation has resulted in a draft Airspace Management Plan that supports safe and efficient operations of a new runway.
What is the draft Airspace Management Plan?
The draft Airspace Management Plan for safe and efficient operations of a parallel runway system at Perth Airport has been developed. It is not the final design, as this will occur three years out from day of opening of the new runway, however it is a chance for the community to better understand how a parallel runway system may operate and to provide input.
The draft Airspace Management Plan considered:
safe aircraft operations,
demand and volume of aircraft traffic,
weather patterns,
departure and arrival procedures,
runway modes of operation,
aircraft sequencing,
noise abatement procedures,
local airspace conditions, and
current flight path designs.
The draft Airspace Management Plan considers flight corridors where aircraft are likely to fly. The flight corridors have been prepared based on international aviation standards.
Click each flight corridor diagram below to view a larger version.
The conceptual diagrams below show where departures are expected to fly once the new runway is operational.
South Flow Departures
North Flow Departures
The conceptual diagrams below show where arrivals are expected to fly once the new runway is operational.
South Flow Arrivals
North Flow Arrivals
How will aircraft operate from the new runway?
The opening of the new runway will allow better management of the growth in air traffic that has already occurred at Perth Airport and future growth; enable more efficient and effective operations; and provide more scope for airlines to schedule flights to better meet customer needs. The new runway will not increase the total aircraft noise load over Perth in the short term.
Operating Mode
To maximise capacity on day of opening and into the future, Perth Airport will generally operate in independent mixed mode, meaning both runways are used for both arrivals and departures, and the separation of aircraft is not dependent on each other.
In some cases, the runways will be used in dependent mixed-mode operations where separation between aircraft on final approach for each runway is required.
Cross Runway
A decision on the future of the existing cross runway will be made once the new runway is operational and there is a possibility that it will close.
Runway Allocation
Following an extensive review of the airspace and how the new runway could operate, it was determined that, in peak periods, aircraft should generally be allocated to the runways based on a compass departures and terminal arrivals concept.
Compass departures sees the runway allocated according to the direction that the aircraft is going. The main runway (03L/21R) will generally cater for aircraft operating to destinations south, west and north-west. The new runway (03R/21L) will generally cater for aircraft operating to destinations north-east and east.
Terminal arrivals sees aircraft arriving on the runway proximate to the terminal that they operate from.
Aircraft Noise Exposure
For most people, when the new runway opens, their exposure to aircraft noise will reduce because the number of aircraft movements will be spread across two parallel runways. For others, there will be little or no change. Some people will experience an increase in noise and some will be exposed to aircraft noise for the first time.
Further information regarding the new runway draft Airspace Management Plan can be found in our fact sheet or at newrunway.com.au.
New flight procedures will be introduced for aircraft operating from the new runway. The simulations below are based on modelling conducted by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the United Kingdom’s air navigation service provider, and give an indication of where aircraft may fly when the new runway becomes operational, as well as into the future when capacity during peak periods is again being reached.
This animation shows typical flight procedures used today and how this will change once the new runway opens.
Airspace Changes
The interactive animation below shows simulations over longer time periods for North and South flow once the new runway opens and at ultimate airport capacity.
Perth Airport operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is Australia’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger numbers and the principal international, interstate, and intrastate airport in Western Australia. Watch this video to find out more about how Perth Airport operates, then read on for more details.
The nature of the resource sector’s fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce, and connections to international flights, sees Perth Airport experience significant peak periods. In the early morning, there is a departures peak that can result in up to 40 aircraft departing each hour for a two to three hour period. In the afternoon, there is an arrivals peak which sees up to 26 aircraft arriving each hour for a two to three hour period.
Runway selection decisions are made by Airservices Australia, the national air navigation service provider.
For the majority of time, the two runways are used dependently, meaning that the separation of aircraft considers other aircraft operating on each runway; this increases the required separation between aircraft. The two runways can be used in various configurations. Weather conditions, including wind speed and direction, may not allow the use of the two runway configurations; therefore, a single runway is used.
Generally, aircraft at Perth Airport operate in either a North Flow or a South Flow runway configuration.
In North Flow, aircraft land in a northerly direction flying over Queens Park and Redcliffe on arrival, and take off over Guildford and Bellevue on departure.
In South Flow, aircraft land in a southerly direction flying over Guildford and Bellevue on arrival, and take off over Queens Park on departure. In certain wind and weather conditions, aircraft will occasionally take off on Runway 24 over Redcliffe.
