Knowledge Centre
Find out more about why flight paths change, how our data is determined, just what is a decibel and much more.
Defining flight paths
Flight paths are highways in the sky. They define three-dimensional routes that aircraft use to arrive at or depart from an airport.
They are developed in accordance with standards established by organisations including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and The Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) and are carefully formulated to ensure the safe and efficient operation of aircraft.
Designing flight paths
Flight paths are the means through which air traffic is controlled and are based on Standard Arrival Routes (STARs) and Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs). Together, STARs and SIDs form the basis for flight paths that are used by pilots and airlines operating in controlled airspace.
Designing STARs and SIDs is a complex and lengthy task. It requires several specialist disciplines to work together to achieve a safe and efficient outcome. The design for Brisbane Airport has been completed by Airservices Australia in consultation with Brisbane Airport Corporation, in accordance with standards established by organisations including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
In order to reach the best outcome for safe operations, noise abatement as well as reducing emissions, the Brisbane airspace design underwent twenty-one iterations before reaching a stage that it could be presented to CASA for approval.
The use of specific paths
Pre-determined flight paths are used by pilots to negotiate entry into and out of airspace, under the direction of air traffic controllers. By using a number of navigational tools that are established for each flight path, pilots can fly safely and confidently into and out of an airport even if they have never flown there before.
Aircraft are fitted with different navigational tools and this can dictate the flight path required for that particular aircraft. The choice on which flight path to use can also be influenced by weather conditions, aircraft separation requirements and the concentration of aircraft arriving or departing at the airport.
The difference between jet and non-jet tracks
Flight paths differ for various aircraft types. This is due to the different navigational tools available on jets versus non-jet aircraft, such as turboprops. Helicopters also have different flight paths due to the different ways in which air traffic controllers manage these operations.
Non-jet (turboprop) flight paths
When arriving into Brisbane Airport, non-jet aircraft (or turbo propeller aircraft) fly a range of approaches, including tracking on the jet flight paths or flying a visual approach. This is when a pilot is navigating the aircraft by visual references to the ground and can therefore vary by several kilometres. In terms of departures, non-jet traffic follows a similar path as the jets but tend to turn early off the runway to clear the way for jet traffic behind them. This is to allow for adequate separation between slower and faster aircraft departing from Brisbane Airport.
The below graphics show non-jet arrival and departure tracks.
Northerly winds:

Southerly winds:

Flight path ‘swathes’
Flight paths can be depicted as single lines on a map, however it is not always possible for aircraft to follow precisely along the line depicted. This is why flight paths are depicted as ‘swathes’.
In practice, flight paths can vary up to several kilometres or more. This occurs for a range of reasons such as weather conditions, requirements for aircraft separation or variations in aircraft performance.
Some aircraft will use a visual approach when arriving at Brisbane Airport. This approach is when a pilot proceeds by visual reference and therefore this approach can vary by several kilometres.
Modes of operation
With the opening of the new runway on Sunday 12 July 2020, Brisbane Airport moved to parallel runway operations. Brisbane Airport has three main modes of operation:
- Simultaneous parallel operations where all flights land over the bay and take off over the city from both runways. This means arrivals and departures on both runways at the same time in a southerly flow of traffic.
- Simultaneous parallel operations where all flights land over the city and take off over the bay from both runways. This means arrivals and departures on both runways at the same time in a northerly flow of traffic.
- Simultaneous opposite direction operations where flights both land and take off over the bay. This is the preferred mode for night time operations.
The decision on mode of operation use is the responsibility of Airservices Australia.
Generally, aircraft departing to or arriving from the west or the north will land and depart on the new runway.
Generally, aircraft departing to or arriving from the south or east will land and depart on the legacy runway.
The decision on mode of operation use is the responsibility of Airservices Australia.

Night time operations
Between 10pm – 6am, the preference is for all overnight arrivals and departures to occur over the bay. This is weather dependent and based on four factors – visibility, cloud cover, wind speed and runway surface conditions.
If over the bay operations are possible, arriving aircraft will land on the new runway and departing aircraft will use the legacy runway. This means that the initial climb and final descent of aircraft will take place over water, rather than residential areas. This is expected to be available over 50% of the time.
If over the bay operations can’t be utilised due to weather conditions, reciprocal operations using either runway will be the next preferred option. This is also weather dependent, with both arriving and departing aircraft using the same or either runway. If over the bay operations are not possible due to weather conditions, a modified version of simultaneous parallel operations based on wind direction will be implemented.
If there are northerly winds, flights will land over the city to the legacy runway and take off over the bay from both runways. If there are southerly winds, flights will land over the bay on both runways and take off over the city from the legacy runway. This maintains consistency with proposed flight paths included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Different flight approaches
When aircraft arrive at Brisbane Airport, they can take one of three different approaches. The approach they take will depend on the navigational aids available on that particular aircraft.
The three approaches are:
- Instrument landing system approach (or ILS approach) – this approach requires aircraft to line up with the centreline of the runway pprox.. 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 kilometres) from landing. It communicates with two pieces of equipment on the ground: the localiser which provides lateral guidance and the glide slope which provides vertical guidance.
- Short approach (or RNP approach) – this approach uses satellite based technology and equipment in the aircraft to safely navigate the aircraft into landing. This does not require communication with any equipment on the ground.
- Visual approach –this approach is conducted when the weather is fine with no low cloud cover and a pilot is operating the aircraft by visual references. This approach can therefore vary by several kilometres.
The choice of which flight path to use can also be influenced by weather conditions, aircraft separation requirements and the concentration of aircraft arriving or departing at the airport.
An arrivals procedure known as ‘Continuous Descent Approaches’ (CDA) will continue to be in operation at Brisbane Airport. CDA involves aircraft maintaining a steady angle of approach until they reach the final approach. The intention of CDA is to reduce arrival noise by:
- keeping aircraft higher for longer
- smoothing the approach of the aircraft by limiting the use of the throttle to avoid over powering the aircraft engine
- In addition, CDA reduces fuel burn and emissions, which leads to an overall environmental benefit.



Runway numbering system
So that air traffic controllers can direct pilots to the appropriate runway for take-off or landing, runways are always described using two numbers. Each number represents the orientation of the runway on a compass.
Based on compass orientation, Brisbane Airport’s legacy runway is described as 01/19 (010 degrees magnetic / 190 degrees magnetic).
The new runway is parallel to the existing runway and therefore also carries the numbers 01/19. To distinguish between the two, ‘L’ for left and ‘R’ for right has been added to all directions on both runways.
Therefore, the legacy runway is described as 01R/19L and the new runway is described as 01L/19R.
Any aircraft using 01 will either be arriving over the city or taking off over the bay. Any aircraft using 19 will be either arriving over the bay or taking off over the city.
Aircraft altitude
The altitude that an aircraft is flying can vary for a number of reasons, including the size of the aircraft and its destination. A larger, long haul aircraft with a higher fuel load or heavy freight load will depart from an airport at a lower altitude than a smaller, short haul aircraft with a lower fuel load or less freight. For example, an A380 aircraft travelling to Dubai will fly at a lower altitude than a B738 aircraft flying to Sydney.
Due to this variation, altitude can be described as a ‘band’, with a minimum and maximum altitude possible at a particular point of a journey. For example, the ‘cruise’ altitude for a particular route may be between 29,000ft (minimum) and 43,000ft (maximum).
For the purposes of this flight path tool, an average altitude within the middle of the band is displayed. If your selected address is under a legacy or new flight path, data will appear in a pop-up box which includes the average altitude of the aircraft expected above that address.


How can I find out more?
For more detailed information on flight paths and aircraft noise, please download the Brisbane Airport Flight Path and Noise Information Booklet.
Learn more about flight paths and aircraft noise at BNE's mobile information centre. Find out where the mobile information centre is popping up next here.
Flight path FAQs
- in situations where the weather requires lower flying
- for helicopters flying within specified access lanes
- where the aircraft is engaged in air work for which the operator has a permit (such as media helicopters)
- for police and search and rescue operations
- where an aircraft is in the course of taking off or landing at an airport.
Flights using the new runway will arrive from and depart to the north and west. The flight path departing to the south of the new runway and then heading north needs to loop back around and cross over the incoming arrival tracks to the north of the new runway. To maintain safety, all jets departing and making this loop to head north, need to have sufficient time and distance to reach 10,000ft before crossing over the arriving aircraft below. If an early right turn was implemented, this would not give jet departures the sufficient time and distance to reach this altitude before crossing the arrival tracks.
In addition to this, air traffic control must turn propeller aircraft (non-jet aircraft) early to allow faster following jets to depart the runway without being delayed. This means the departing jets must turn later to enable them to climb above the propeller aircraft before turning back over them to the north.
Step 1 – Approval of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) / Major Development Plan (MDP). This occurred in 2007.
Step 2 – Approval by the Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) within CASA. This occurred in October 2018.
For more information on the process, please refer to the 2020 Flight Path and Aircraft Noise Information Booklet.
- Flight path ‘swathes’
- Weather
- The aircraft you see and hear is on a flight path to or from an airport other than Brisbane Airport
- Occasionally, air traffic controllers ask pilots to fly outside normal flight paths for operational reasons, but this is quite rare
If there is a change in wind direction at Brisbane Airport, the direction of take-off and landing will also change. This may mean that you experience more aircraft flying over your house at certain times compared to others.
Factors include wind direction, wind speed and traffic demand.
During peak times at Brisbane Airport, the concentration of aircraft needing to land and depart from the airport is too high to operate only over Moreton Bay. This operating mode is only available when traffic volume and weather conditions permit, which will most often be at night.
During the day, if the wind direction is from the north or east, aircraft will land over the city and take-off over the bay. If the wind direction is from the south or west, aircraft will land over the bay and take-off over the city.

During periods of excessive traffic to one runway:
- Air traffic control may need to use non-compass runway operations occasionally when required to safely manage the arriving flow of aircraft. This means that flights from the north and west may occasionally land on the legacy runway, or flights from the south and east may occasionally land on the new runway.
- Normally aircraft are spaced out well before they get close to the airport, but occasionally unusual events like changes in weather, an urgent medical flight, or a need to alter the traffic pattern to make sure aircraft are safely separated will result in the need to land an aircraft on the non-compass runway.
- Generally, aircraft landing on the non-compass runway will be manually directed by air traffic control to intercept the centreline of the runway from a distance out from the airport so will not fly on published flight paths.
The creation of aircraft noise
The level of noise you hear from a plane during take-off, landing and during flight can vary. Aircraft noise is influenced by a number of different factors, including:
- The weather, including season, wind & cloud cover
- The height of an aircraft
- Changes in engine thrust
- Type of aircraft
Noise is also subjective person to person and what you hear can be influenced by many different factors including your surroundings and other activities happening in the background.

Aircraft noise measurement
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). The sound level of typical daytime activities can vary between 40 dB and 85 dB. Typical aircraft noise levels are between 65 dB and 95 dB. Very close to a runway, an aircraft could be as loud as 130 dB.

Weather impacts on aircraft noise
Weather impacts such as wind, clouds and rain all impact where planes fly and the level of noise experienced.
Wind:
At Brisbane Airport seasonal weather patterns affect how often aircraft can fly over the bay. Generally speaking, during the warmer months there are increased northerly and easterly winds at Brisbane Airport, which means flights are more likely to arrive over the city and take-off over the bay. While during cooler months, there are increased southerly and westerly winds, so planes will often arrive over the bay and take-off over the city.
When the wind falls below 10 km/hr at night, Airservices Australia will operate simultaneous opposite direction operations where flights both land and take off over the bay.
When there are high winds in the airfield above 10km/hr, or rain or low cloud, aircraft will be able to land over the bay, however departures would occur over the city. This is needed to make sure that operations are consistent with international rules and standards.
When there are north easterly winds above 10km/hr aircraft would be able to depart over the bay however would need to land over the city. This is also needed to make sure that operations are consistent with international rules and standards.
Cloud:
It is common for people often say that aircraft are noisier when it is cloudy. Cloud cover acts like a blanket and can “trap” noise, amplifying it downward.
Rain:
Whether it is raining or not also influences how an aircraft can land or take-off. Reduced visibility from rain may require pilots to use specific flight paths to safely land and depart.
Brisbane Airport’s buffer zone
A buffer zone is measured by drawing a straight line from the centreline at the end of the runway to the nearest residences.
Brisbane Airport has the largest noise buffer zone of any capital city airport in Australia. Drawing a straight line from the end of the legacy runway, the nearest residence is 6.7km away. Using the same straight line approach, the distance from the end of the new runway to the nearest residence is 6km.
Other Australian airports with a curfew have a much smaller buffer zone, in some cases measuring just 600m from the nearest residences.

Noise monitoring
Airservices Australia monitor aircraft noise via a number of fixed noise monitors strategically placed around communities close to the airport. Details of the information collected is displayed in the Airservices WebTrak tool which can be found here.
New noise monitors will be placed in the community prior to the opening of the new runway.
In early 2020, BAC developed the first combined Airport/Airservices Aircraft Performance and Noise Program in Australia. Recognising the sensitivity of residents to major changes in aircraft noise patterns, this program includes the provision of six extra noise monitoring terminals in addition to the eight permanent noise monitors already in use by Airservices.
Four temporary noise monitors have been placed in New Farm, Bardon, Carina and Hamilton, plus two permanent noise monitors south of the two runways. The system will allow BAC to monitor how aircraft are performing against the noise abatement procedures, explore noise improvements, and report this information to the community. The additional noise monitors will be shown on Airservices’ WebTrak.
You can find out more about this program here.
How can I find out more?
For current information on flight paths and aircraft movements at your location, visit Airservices Australia’s Aircraft in your Neighbourhood website.
Aircraft noise FAQs
Alternatively, you can call 1800 737 075 (free call, Mon - Fri 8.30am to 5.00pm excl. public holidays).
This feedback will be logged by Brisbane Airport Corporation and shared with Airservices Australia.
Airservices Australia If your enquiry is in relation to a specific aircraft noise event, or you wish to make a formal complaint, please contact Airservices Australia.
Airservices Australia is Australia's air navigation service provider. They are responsible for Australia's airspace management, flight paths, providing noise information and managing complaints.
Airservices Australia manages complaints and enquiries about aircraft noise and operations through their dedicated Noise Complaints and Information Service (NCIS).
You can lodge a complaint or make an enquiry:
- Directly via WebTrak
- Tel: 1800 802 584 (free call, Mon - Fri 9.00am to 5.00pm excl. public holidays)
- Mail: Noise Complaints and Information Service, PO Box 211, Mascot, NSW 1460
- Web: Fill out an online form
Aircraft are typically louder during take-off and landing. During take-off, this is due to the engines working hard. During landing, this is due to the increased air resistance when the landing gear is lowered and wing flaps extend.
The weight of an aircraft will impact the noise level – the heavier the aircraft, the louder it will be. Long haul aircraft will show increased noise levels on departure, due to higher fuel loads required on those flights.
Weather, including cloud cover can also influence how loud an aircraft may sound. Cloud coverage can “trap” noise, amplifying it downwards.
For more detailed information about aircraft noise and noise related to particular types of aircraft, please download the Brisbane Airport Flight Path and Aircraft Noise Information Booklet.
Air Traffic Control ensures that helicopter traffic around the CBD is kept clear of aircraft operating into and out of Brisbane Airport. Airservices Australia separate hospital related medical and emergency traffic from other air traffic in and around the CBD.
With the cross runway ceasing operations, Airservices Australia will undertake an analysis of data recorded at the Nudgee Beach noise monitoring terminal to assess if the terminal is providing relevant information for the local community.
A key component to this is the buffer zone that has prevented homes being built too close to the airport runways. Brisbane Airport has the largest buffer zone of any major Australian airport.
The new runway was also positioned as far north as possible, with the high intensity approach lighting extending into Moreton Bay. This is to ensure the buffer zone remained as large as possible.
The new runway was designed in a north-south direction, with 2km separation between the legacy and new runways. This allows the runways to operate independently, meaning more arrivals and departures over Moreton Bay rather than over residential areas.
BAC initiated this work in the hope that the findings would ease any community concerns, and encourage greater transparency from vendors and real estate agents during the marketing and sale of residential property.
Having analysed 25 years of RP data, QUT concluded that: “housing and units in Brisbane located under designated flight paths have their value and price determined by a range of factors and these factors are not detrimentally impacted by aircraft noise. The location of a property under a flight path will have minimal if any impact on the price, saleability, investment performance and capital growth of that property".
A full copy of the study and annual updates can be found here.
How to use the Flight Path Tool
Overview
The flight path tool shows the jet arrival and departure flight paths from Brisbane Airport. It allows a user to search any address in Brisbane in relation to these flight paths, to understand the impacts on the selected address. The tool also shows noise mapping, highlighting areas affected by aircraft noise of 70 decibels or more.
Please note, if your address lies close to a flight path but not directly underneath, it is recommended that you move the pin to an address within the flight path (at the same distance from the runway) and view the related data.
Browser

The flightpath tool has been optimised to function best on a modern web browser such as Google Chrome.
Desktop instructions: Flight paths
Step 1
Enter an address in the text box in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Please note, addresses should begin with street number or street name when searching (please remove unit numbers).
Step 2
Utilise the filters in the left hand side toolbar to compare the differences in data based on runway operations, wind direction and timing. To learn more about the filters and how these impact flight paths, select the ‘ Learn more ’ text within each section.
Step 3
If your selected address is under a flight path, data will appear in a pop-up box. Select ‘VIEW ALL DATA’ to view a data table for this address and all flight paths, regardless of wind direction.
To select a different address, either remove current address from the text box and re-enter or click the map to move the pin to a new location.
Desktop instructions: Noise Mapping
Step 1
Enter an address in the text box in the top left hand corner of the screen and change the filter from ‘SHOW FLIGHT PATHS’ to ‘SHOW NOISE MAPPING’. Please note, addresses should begin with street number or street name when searching (please remove unit numbers).
Step 2
Utilise the filters in the left hand side toolbar to compare the differences in data based on runway operations and timing. To learn more about the filters and how these impact aircraft noise, select the ‘i Learn more’ text within each section.
Step 3
If your selected address is within the noise mapping area, data will appear in a pop-up box. Select ‘VIEW ALL DATA’ to view a data table for this address and all timings.
To select a different address, either remove current address from the text box and re-enter or click the map to move the pin to a new location.
If you would like to understand more about flight paths and aircraft noise, select ‘KNOWLEDGE CENTRE’ from the main toolbar. The Knowledge Centre includes information on a range of topics, as well as Frequently Asked Questions.
If you would like to contact someone in relation to flight paths and/or aircraft noise, select ‘CONTACT’ from the main toolbar.