At Sydney Airport, safety is paramount.

Sometimes, a major project occurring close to the airport boundary can affect flights to and from Sydney Airport. To maintain safety, this means the use of a particular runway may be temporarily restricted.

Botany rail duplication project

The freight rail line that runs from the Port Botany Container Terminal to Mascot is being duplicated. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is delivering the project on behalf of government.

The project will increase capacity on the rail line and the wider metropolitan freight network, with one train able to move around the same number of containers as 54 trucks. This will encourage a freight transport mode shift from road to rail, which will result in a reduced rate of growth in truck movements and associated traffic congestion.

The freight rail line skirts Sydney Airport’s eastern and northern boundary, including an area less than 500 metres from the eastern end of our east-west runway.

Maintenance work on main north-south runway

Sydney Airport will be carrying out essential maintenance work on the main north-south runway and associated taxiways until 30 June 2023.

The work can only be carried out during the airport’s curfew, between 11pm and 6am and will occur on up to 50 nights.

This means the limited number of overnight freight and other aircraft that can operate during these times will instead use the parallel north-south runway.

On average, around six Air Ambulance flights operate each night between 11pm and 6am seven days a week. We also expect up to 21 freight flights per night (almost always during the week, not on weekends) and up to two general aviation flights between these hours.

Using this runway means people living in Kurnell, La Perouse, Phillip Bay and parts of Botany may hear aircraft noise between 11pm and 6am on some nights between now and the end of the year. People living outside these areas may also hear noise.

Contact information

Contact: Mr Ted Plummer

Phone: (02) 9667 6182

Email: runwaysafety@syd.com.au

If you wish to lodge a formal aircraft noise complaint with Airservices Australia, the Australian Government agency responsible for air traffic management at all of Australia’s major airports, visit their Noise Complaints and Information Service.