SYDNEY AIRPORT RUNWAY SAFETY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

Draft Major Development Plan

 

Sydney Airport is Australia's largest and busiest airport.

We regard safety, both in the air and on the ground, as paramount. We are committed to improving the quality and safety of Sydney Airport for our passengers, visitors and employees and continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrading airport facilities and infrastructure.

One of our major aviation safety projects is the Runway Safety Enhancement Project. The Runway Safety Enhancement Project involves the construction of a larger runway safety area at the western end of the east-west runway located in the south-west sector of Sydney Airport.

 

Project Need

Project Description

Draft Major Development Plan (MDP)

Interim Operating Arrangements for the East West Runway

Further Information

 

Project Need

In 2003, following runway incidents at overseas airports, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) reviewed and changed Australia's runway safety regulations, in line with international aviation standards.

As a result, the provision of larger runway safety areas is now a mandatory requirement for all runways being used by jet aircraft. Runway safety areas are cleared ground areas located at each end of a runway. They are intended to minimise the harm to passengers in the unlikely event that an aircraft over runs or lands short of a runway.

Sydney Airport's runways have always had safety areas available at each end to protect aircraft and passengers. However, CASA's new regulations now require airports to provide runway safety areas with a minimum length of 90 metres. Sydney Airport has three runways - two north-south runways and one east-west runway - so six larger runway safety areas are required in total. 

Five extensions were completed in 2006, one at each end of the north-south runways and one at the eastern end of the east-west runway. In order to fully comply with CASA's new regulations, Sydney airport must now extend the sixth and final runway safety area at the western end of the east-west runway.

Runway Safety map1

Five larger runway safety areas have already been provided

 

Project Description

Building Sydney Airport's sixth and final runway safety area will be complex.

This is because its construction will be complicated by the presence of some of Sydney's essential infrastructure and the proximity of the Cooks River. Critical infrastructure located at the western end of the east-west runway includes:

  • Sydney Water's South and Western Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer (SWSOOS), the city's largest sewer,
  • one of EnergyAustralia's high voltage power cables,
  • the M5 East Motorway tunnel under the Cooks River, and
  • other infrastructure including the airside perimeter road, a gas pipeline, and various power and fibre optic cables owned by Airservices Australia.

The proposed runway safety area will be constructed as a land bridge. It will be a 90 metres by 90 metres (8,100 square metres) area symmetrical to the extended runway centreline and immediately adjacent to the end of the runway strip.

The proposed raked paved surface will enhance aircraft deceleration and support emergency vehicles and equipment if they are ever needed.

The land bridge will span across the SWSOOS, the airside perimeter road and the M5 East Motorway, thus forming a suspended runway safety structure and surface. When completed, it will need to support the weight of a 600 tonne aircraft.

Construction will involve the placement of more than one hundred 27 metre long pre-cast concrete beams, each weighing more than 25 tonnes.

Subject to Ministerial approval, the project is proposed to commence in October 2008 and be completed by mid-2010. To ensure aviation safety while construction works are underway, the east-west runway will need to be temporarily closed for eight months. There will also be a ten month period when aircraft operations will need to be temporarily restricted.

 

Runway Safety map2  

What the new runway safety area will look like

 

 

Planning and Approval Process

Draft Major Development Plan (MDP)

 

The proposal to extend the runway safety area at the western end of the east-west runway is considered a 'major airport development' under the Airports Act 1996.

In accordance with the Airports Act 1996, Sydney Airport prepared a Draft Major Development Plan (MDP), which describes the works involved in upgrading the runway safety area.

The Draft MDP includes an assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with the project and the ways in which these impacts would be mitigated. It sets out the proposed construction timetable for the project, which has been developed to minimise the period during which runway operations will be impacted.

The Draft MDP was on public exhibition for a period of 60 business days (concluding on 18 June 2008). This allowed stakeholders including pilots, airlines and all members of the community the opportunity to comment on this vitally important safety project.

Submissions made during the 60 day public exhibition period are now being considered and, following the making of any appropriate changes, a revised Draft MDP will be submitted to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government for consideration.

If the Final MDP is given Ministerial approval, the project is proposed to commence in October 2008 and be completed by mid-2010.

Public Exhibition of Draft MDP

The Draft MDP was on public exhibition for a period of 60 business days from Thursday 20 March until Wednesday 18 June 2008. During this time stakeholders including pilots, airlines and all members of the community were provided with an opportunity to review the Draft MDP and to provide comments on the proposed project.

While the period for submissions has now closed, the document is still available electronically.

 

Draft MDP (Electronic Version)

The electronic version of the Draft MDP and can be downloaded free of charge. Right click section link and select "Save Link As" to download pdf.

 

Cover to Summary (PDF: 230KB)

Chapter 1 Introduction (PDF: 84KB)

Chapter 2 Site context and options for runway 25 RESA (PDF: 126KB)

Chapter 3 The proposed development (PDF: 761KB)

Chapter 4          Environmental Assessment and Management

                        Sections 4.1 to 4.6 (PDF: 881KB)

                        Sections 4.6 to 4.15 (PDF:110KB)

Chapter 5 Statutory Context (PDF: 108KB)

Chapter 6 Consultation (PDF: 68KB)

References Abbreviations and Glossary (PDF: 64KB)

Appendix A Consistency of Draft MDP with Section 91 (PDF: 60KB)

Appendix B       Assessment of Aircraft Noise Impacts Report

Main Report (PDF: 538KB)

Appendix A (Runway Definition for Sydney Airport) (PDF: 79KB)

Appendix B (Flight track movements 1) (PDF: 1,905KB)

Appendix B (Flight track movements 2) (PDF: 1,909KB)

Appendix B (Flight track movements 3) (PDF: 2,144KB) 

Appendix C (Respite Charts) (PDF: 2,663KB)

Appendix D (ANEC Noise contours) (PDF: 1,751KB)

Appendix E (N70 Noise contours Actual) (PDF: 740KB)

Appendix F (N70 Noise contours Predicted) (PDF: 741KB)

Appendix G (N70 Noise contours Actual and Predicted) (PDF: 89KB)

 

A Draft MDP Summary booklet (PDF: 1,513KB), which provides a summary related to the Draft MDP, is also available for download.

 

Interim Operating Arrangements for the East West Runway

 

 

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority requires that from 3 May 2008, Australia's airports must provide an enlarged Runway End Safety Area (RESA) at each end of a runway being used by jet aircraft.

 

As plans to construct the permanent RESA at the western end of Runway 07/25 (the east-west runway) are currently the subject of the Draft Major Development Plan under the Airports Act 1996 (as outlined above), interim operating arrangements will apply to the east-west runway between 3 May 2008 and 31 October 2008.

 

The interim operating arrangements have been developed taking into consideration the applicable regulatory requirements, the safety of aircraft operations and the maximisation of noise sharing within these constraints.

 

Implementation of the interim operating arrangements will have a minor impact on existing noise sharing arrangements.

 

Depending on weather conditions, this will result in a small increase in air traffic to the north and east of the airport. The increase is estimated to be between six and nine aircraft movements per day on each of runways 16L, 16R and 25. The magnitude of these changes is within the month-to-month variability in aircraft movement numbers.

 

For areas to the south of the airport, overflights are expected to remain approximately the same as they are now and areas to the west of the airport will see a reduction in overflights.

 

As is the case now, the actual number of flight movements on any given day may be higher or lower due to factors such as prevailing weather.

 

A Summary document (PDF: 110 KB) estimating the impact on aircraft movements during the interim operating arrangements for the east-west runway and Frequently Asked Questions & Answers (PDF: 80 KB) concerning the interim operating arrangements are available to download.

 

Further Information

For further details on the Runway Safety Enhancement Project, please phone the community information line on 1300 85 22 84 or Ted Plummer on (02) 9667 6182.

 

For further details on the interim operating arrangements for the east-west runway, please phone Ted Plummer on (02) 9667 6182.