Will 1,000 flights a day impact property?
A fresh Master Plan for Kingsford Smith airport due to be released by operators highlights how they are working on better ways to manage and reduce noise.
DESPITE the expected opening of Western Sydney International Airport in late 2026, the operators of the city’s main airport are not relaxing.
Kingsford Smith (SYD) remains Australia’s busiest, supporting 330,000 jobs and generating almost $40 billion a year in economic activity.
With passenger numbers set to reach 72.9 million by 2045 (up 75% from today), the airport is developing a fresh Master Plan, due out next June.
It includes new taxiways and aircraft parking, plus terminal upgrades and expanded freight facilities.
But more traffic and airspace changes could mean greater disruption for residents living nearby, and under flight paths.
It could also affect local real estate values, with a possible 1,000 flights a day between 6am and 11pm.
“For those living near airports or under flight paths, aircraft noise can be a real challenge,” the draft Master Plan concedes.
“Sydney Airport is working to find better ways to manage and reduce its impact.”
Those include rotating runway use to share the noise, maximising flights over Botany Bay, and supporting use of newer, quieter planes.
But the draft 2045 noise maps suggest there’ll be an average 109 take-offs a day – more than six each operating hour – to the north-west.
Homes along the Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, Burwood and Strathfield corridor could see, and hear, more planes.
Whether buyers will be discouraged remains to be seen. Marrickville, for example, already has aircraft noise but its median house price increased 5.4% in the past year.
