Residents complain about new airport runway: 'Our lives have been completely destroyed'
- Replies 5
When Brisbane Airport opened a second runway in July 2020 to accommodate increasing air traffic, it brought economic benefits to the bustling city it calls home—estimated at $1 billion annually.
Unfortunately, it also meant unwelcome noise for many residents.
The changed flight paths now see planes traversing previously untouched areas, disrupting residents around the clock.
One of the residents, Nicole Bretherton, painted a picture of what it was like to live near a runway. She likened the noise of the passing planes to starting up a lawnmower.
‘It's just debilitating,’ she described. ‘It's like having a headache, a constant headache, and it wears you down.’
Nicole continued: ‘Your mental health takes a hiding because you just can't escape it. You have interrupted sleep. You can't concentrate. You can't relax. I feel irritated. I'm tired. I'm cranky.’
‘And then you've got things like lack of sunshine, of fresh air because we rarely want to sit outside anymore,’ she shared.
Nicole, 52, lives with her husband in 5.5 km away from the airport in Hamilton. They lived there peacefully for 10 years before the new runway became operational.
The airport operates every day for 24 hours, and with the airport’s double flight capacity and new flight paths, the new addition means that residents like her are hearing the noise all the time.
She is not alone in this plight. In fact, complaints to authorities have skyrocketed since the new flights began.
Like clockwork, Nicole even identified a 2:50 a.m. flight as the culprit of her nightly awakenings.
‘The house shakes some nights,’ she said. ‘I'll be lying in bed ... and I can feel it.’
Her visitors have also complained about the noise, asking Nicole: 'Oh my God, how do you live with this?'
The impact on quality of life for others has also been immense.
'We live with all windows and doors closed 24/7 (and) our outside deck and verandah have had little use in the last three years because of the noise,' says a man named Ross, who has lived in Brisbane for 41 years.
‘The community is, unfortunately, collateral damage,’ he described.
Additionally, he accused the officials of having ‘deliberately downplayed the impact (the second runway and flight paths) would have on our lives’.
While bringing in an estimated $1 billion annually, the runway expansion means 250,000 flights are projected by 2040, up 50 per cent from 2020. This worries residents who fear worse is yet to come.
In Toowong, 15 km away from the airport, mum-of-two and resident Melanie Stott also found peace and quiet to be a thing of the past, with windows shaking from low-flying aircraft at night. She also mentioned a particular flight that often woke her and her husband because it almost rattled their windows.
She claimed she lived in the area for two decades, but never had a problem until recently.
‘The whole argument of “don't buy in that area if you don't want to be disturbed by planes” doesn't apply to us because we have owned property here for a long time,’ she said.
Melanie added: ‘I think about our own family, but I also think of it as a whole wider population problem. Like what are we going to do if we consistently screw with the sleep of a whole population? It's not healthy for people.’
She also asked why more planes don’t take off and land on Moreton Bay instead of flying directly over the city.
‘We definitely needed a second runway. I'm not saying we should shut it all down and not have any planes. But they just need to run (the planes and flight paths) over the bay,’ she suggested.
The airport’s runways allow for take-off and land over Moreton Bay, but only in certain conditions.
This mode of operation is called simultaneous opposite direction parallel runway operations (SODPROPS) and can only be used during the night and if strict weather and flying conditions allow.
If those requirements are unmet, traffic control redirects the planes on a different flight path that flies over the city.
Airservices Australia, the federal agency that decides the modes of operation at the Brisbane Airport each day, claimed they wanted to use SODPROPS more often. However, it is hardly operational, according to reports.
In June-August of this year, SODPROPS was only used for an average of 3.4 per cent of the flights due to the restrictions. But they assured residents that they’re prioritising more ways to use this mode of operation.
Airservices also revealed that they want to consider more noise reduction measures—including sharing airspace with RAAF Base Amberley and redesigning flight paths to reduce the frequency of flying over the city.
However, Brisbane Airport Corporation—who purchased the airport on a 50-year lease for $1.4 billion in 1997 from the Federal Government—opposed any flight cap curfew.
Stephen Beckett, a spokesperson for the corporation, claimed it would severely impact Queensland’s economy by hurting national cargo, mining operations, and tourism.
Airservices will conduct another round of community meetings to try to address the noise impacts on Brisbane’s residents.
What’s your take on this story, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Unfortunately, it also meant unwelcome noise for many residents.
The changed flight paths now see planes traversing previously untouched areas, disrupting residents around the clock.
One of the residents, Nicole Bretherton, painted a picture of what it was like to live near a runway. She likened the noise of the passing planes to starting up a lawnmower.
‘It's just debilitating,’ she described. ‘It's like having a headache, a constant headache, and it wears you down.’
Brisbane residents have grievances against the noise from the new airport runway. Credit: kz/Unsplash
Nicole continued: ‘Your mental health takes a hiding because you just can't escape it. You have interrupted sleep. You can't concentrate. You can't relax. I feel irritated. I'm tired. I'm cranky.’
‘And then you've got things like lack of sunshine, of fresh air because we rarely want to sit outside anymore,’ she shared.
Nicole, 52, lives with her husband in 5.5 km away from the airport in Hamilton. They lived there peacefully for 10 years before the new runway became operational.
The airport operates every day for 24 hours, and with the airport’s double flight capacity and new flight paths, the new addition means that residents like her are hearing the noise all the time.
She is not alone in this plight. In fact, complaints to authorities have skyrocketed since the new flights began.
Brisbane residents have complained about the noise from the new runway. Credit: Airservices Australia
Like clockwork, Nicole even identified a 2:50 a.m. flight as the culprit of her nightly awakenings.
‘The house shakes some nights,’ she said. ‘I'll be lying in bed ... and I can feel it.’
Her visitors have also complained about the noise, asking Nicole: 'Oh my God, how do you live with this?'
The impact on quality of life for others has also been immense.
'We live with all windows and doors closed 24/7 (and) our outside deck and verandah have had little use in the last three years because of the noise,' says a man named Ross, who has lived in Brisbane for 41 years.
‘The community is, unfortunately, collateral damage,’ he described.
Additionally, he accused the officials of having ‘deliberately downplayed the impact (the second runway and flight paths) would have on our lives’.
While bringing in an estimated $1 billion annually, the runway expansion means 250,000 flights are projected by 2040, up 50 per cent from 2020. This worries residents who fear worse is yet to come.
In Toowong, 15 km away from the airport, mum-of-two and resident Melanie Stott also found peace and quiet to be a thing of the past, with windows shaking from low-flying aircraft at night. She also mentioned a particular flight that often woke her and her husband because it almost rattled their windows.
She claimed she lived in the area for two decades, but never had a problem until recently.
‘The whole argument of “don't buy in that area if you don't want to be disturbed by planes” doesn't apply to us because we have owned property here for a long time,’ she said.
Melanie added: ‘I think about our own family, but I also think of it as a whole wider population problem. Like what are we going to do if we consistently screw with the sleep of a whole population? It's not healthy for people.’
She also asked why more planes don’t take off and land on Moreton Bay instead of flying directly over the city.
‘We definitely needed a second runway. I'm not saying we should shut it all down and not have any planes. But they just need to run (the planes and flight paths) over the bay,’ she suggested.
The airport’s runways allow for take-off and land over Moreton Bay, but only in certain conditions.
This mode of operation is called simultaneous opposite direction parallel runway operations (SODPROPS) and can only be used during the night and if strict weather and flying conditions allow.
If those requirements are unmet, traffic control redirects the planes on a different flight path that flies over the city.
Airservices Australia, the federal agency that decides the modes of operation at the Brisbane Airport each day, claimed they wanted to use SODPROPS more often. However, it is hardly operational, according to reports.
In June-August of this year, SODPROPS was only used for an average of 3.4 per cent of the flights due to the restrictions. But they assured residents that they’re prioritising more ways to use this mode of operation.
Airservices also revealed that they want to consider more noise reduction measures—including sharing airspace with RAAF Base Amberley and redesigning flight paths to reduce the frequency of flying over the city.
However, Brisbane Airport Corporation—who purchased the airport on a 50-year lease for $1.4 billion in 1997 from the Federal Government—opposed any flight cap curfew.
Stephen Beckett, a spokesperson for the corporation, claimed it would severely impact Queensland’s economy by hurting national cargo, mining operations, and tourism.
Airservices will conduct another round of community meetings to try to address the noise impacts on Brisbane’s residents.
What’s your take on this story, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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