Proposed Flight Path Changes

This month, the Australian Government released the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Western Sydney Airport.

Navigating the proposed Flight Changes in Sydney's Inner West
The key impact for metro Sydney involves changes to the western flight paths, brought about by the new Western Sydney Airport. With the airspace becoming busier with extra aircraft, new routes have been proposed. For those in the inner west, the most significant adjustment will be the amended departure routes.

Business as Usual for Arrivals
Arrival patterns are expected to stay the same. Aircraft landing at Sydney's airport need to follow a long, straight approach. This approach means planes will stay at lower altitudes for longer, unlike takeoffs where they quickly climb to higher altitudes And since the runways remain the same, areas in the Inner West like Annandale and Leichhardt will experience no change in noise from landing aircraft.

A Shift in Path, Not Quantity
Residents in the Inner West including Dulwich Hill, Ashfield, and Burwood will notice more aircraft overhead. This is a shift from the usual flights heard over Petersham, Leichhardt and Haberfield. Despite what some dramatic reports might say, the total number of flights isn't increasing - it's just a rerouting of the existing traffic

East Remains Unchanged
The East will see no change—after all, the new airport is in the West!

The Bigger Picture: Overall, the proposed changes show a 30% shift to the west when aircraft are taking off to the north. It's interesting to note that planes departing to the north make up about half of all takeoffs.

The image below shows 30% of flights shifting from the right line to the left line.