SYDNEY AIRPORT: More Aircraft noise during curfew due to maintenance

If you live in the south-east of Sydney, Sydney Airport is warning that you are facing some increased night time curfew noise for airport maintenance projects. Expect noise disruption during curfew between now and the end of 2024.

The noise will happen during the ‘curfew’ period between 11pma nd gan, for up to 70 nights during that period. It will affect those living in suburbs including parts of Botany, Kurnell, La Perouse, Little Bay, and Phillip Bay.

The cause

Sydney Airport is conducting some maintenance of the north-south runway, as well as associated taxiways. Work on the Sydney Gateway motorway along the airports boundaries will also affect takeoff and landing patterns. Permitted air movements including freight aircraft take off and landing, will move runways using the north-south or ‘third’ runway. There are sually between 11 and 18 aircraft movements on an average night.

Noise levels could head towards 70 decibels over the affected and adjacent suburbs. Thats about the same as the decibels generated by the average washing machine

Plane movements during the daily curfew period are usually directed over Botany Bay, reducing the noise affects on affected suburbs.

The work

Maintenance work is required on the main north-south runway. This can only be carried out during the airport’s curfew hours, without affecting normal operations. It involve replacing lights, asphalt repairs, marking lines and erasing tyre marks..

The airport is also building two taxiways and extending another. Six larger aircraft parking bays (think A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliners) will also be constructed adjacent to the air traffic control tower at south-eastern end of the airport. The works are expected to cost AU$169 million.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.