Airservices to trial new flight path at Perth Airport

Some overnight flights taking off to the south on Perth Airport’s Runway 21 will have a new flight path as part of a trial to monitor aircraft noise.

Airservices is conducting the trial over two periods between February and April to compare actual noise levels from the new flight path with noise modelling data that was used in the initial environmental assessment.

Between five and 13 aircraft were expected to use the proposed flight path when taking off on Runway 21 between 2200 and 0500 local time. However, the figure would depend on factors such as weather.

“The short-term change will see some aircraft departing from Runway 21 at Perth Airport between 10 pm and 5 am for destinations to the north and west and continue flying in a straight line without turning until they are adjacent to Jandakot Airport,” Airservices said in a statement on Tuesday.

“They will then turn south-west until they reach 8,000 feet before turning again to continue on to their destinations.”

The proposed flight path trial was scheduled to take place from February 15 to March 6, as well as between March 21 to April 10. Flights taking off on Runway 21 between those two periods would continue to follow existing flight paths.

Noise data will be collected from eight noise monitors located in the suburbs of Langford, Canning Vale, Cockburn Central, Munster, Beeliar and Beaconsfield.

Airservices said on its website noise modelling from an environmental assessment found there would be a four per cent increase in the number of people who would be impacted by aircraft noise if the proposed flight path trial went ahead.

As a result, it had initially decided not to progress with the trial.

However, it had now decided to test the results of its noise modelling after community feedback that noted the four per cent increase “could be considered to be within a typical statistical margin of error” given it was such a small percentage.

“Following the decision to not progress the trial proposal, Airservices received representations from a broad range of stakeholders and believes it is appropriate to validate the results of the modelling by conducting this short study,” Airservices said on its website.

“Notwithstanding our confidence in the Integrated Noise Model, we consider this to be an excellent opportunity to verify its use in this instance.”