BFPCA Media Release, 21 July 2025
Key Highlights
- New flight paths will increase noise exposure for many families and communities in 220+ suburbs across Greater Brisbane – not reduce it.
- Airservices Australia is using “noise sharing” to justify expansion, not relief, while offering no night-time curfew, no flight cap, and no long-term operating plan.
- BFPCA calls the process a sham and says Airservices is prioritising aviation industry profits over public health and environmental safeguards.
- Residents are being “managed,” not consulted – with the system deliberately designed to wear down communities and avoid accountability.
Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) has strongly criticised the latest flight path proposals released by Airservices Australia, warning they will result in more communities across South East Queensland being impacted by aircraft noise – many for the first time.
While Airservices claims its new flight paths are about “reducing noise,” the reality is a redistribution strategy masquerading as relief. Suburbs across Logan, Redlands, Bayside, the inner city, outer west, and more – over 220 suburbs in total – will continue to shoulder the burden, with newly impacted areas being added to maximise air traffic throughput and profit.
BFPCA Chair Professor Marcus Foth said the proposals do not offer a real solution but instead serve the commercial interests of Brisbane Airport Corporation and the aviation industry.
“There’s no night-time curfew, no flight cap, and no credible plan for genuine net noise reductions,” said Prof. Foth. “Just more planes over more homes – all under the false banner of ‘noise sharing.’”
BFPCA described the consultation process as “engagement theatre” – a strategy designed to manage community anger while protecting industry interests.
Evidence shows Airservices has:
- Quietly removed over-the-ocean operations during the day (SODPROPS) without community or ministerial sign-off;
- Outsourced its environmental assessment obligations to Brisbane Airport Corporation – the project’s main proponent;
- Admitted in Senate Estimates to having conducted not a single noise improvement investigation nationwide since 2018;
- Trained complaints staff to send templated dismissals like “No investigation will be conducted”;
- Continues to advise distressed residents to a mental health counselling and suicide prevention hotline dedicated to aircraft noise sufferers (1300 687 327) — rather than addressing root causes;
- Claimed their airspace design is their “bread and butter,” despite UK experts finding 49 flaws in just three months;
- Told a Senate Inquiry their approach is to do “as little as possible” (Peter Curran, 20 Sept 2024);
- Reminded Senators they are not a regulator – just a government-owned corporation serving the aviation industry’s growth aspirations without asking any questions.
“It is inconceivable that government agencies would continue to prioritise air traffic and profits over the health and wellbeing of communities,” said Prof. Foth. “To suggest that increasing capacity is somehow a ‘noise solution’ is not only false – it’s harmful.”
BFPCA is calling for genuine noise abatement measures aligned with international best practice, including:
- A legislated night-time curfew similar to Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Essendon/Melbourne and many international cities
- A cap on aircraft movements similar to Sydney Airport
- A real long-term operating plan similar to Sydney Airport
- Full transparency, accountability, and community protections
Quotes from Prof. Marcus Foth, Chairperson of BFPCA
“This is not noise reduction – it’s noise redistribution. And the cost is being paid by families and communities across more than 220 Brisbane suburbs.”
“Airservices calls this consultation, but it’s really just engagement theatre – a way to wear us down and keep us quiet while they push through whatever the industry wants.”
“The flight path redesign has never been about protecting the public. It has always been about enabling 24/7 airport growth. And now, communities from Samford to the bay are being sacrificed for aviation profits.”
“BFPCA represents all affected communities – from the inner city to the outer west and the bay. We’re not fighting for one suburb at the expense of another. We’re fighting for real, net noise reductions and fair treatment for everyone.”
About BFPCA
With the launch of Brisbane Airport’s New Parallel Runway on 12 July 2020 came a new airspace design and flight paths that concentrate aircraft noise over densely populated residential areas.
Brisbane Airport and Airservices Australia sold this project to Brisbane communities suggesting the New Parallel Runway will enable them to prioritise “over water” operations that direct planes away from residential areas. The CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff is on the record saying, “the net effect of aircraft flying over the city will decrease.”
Brisbane families and communities are suffering from excessive noise pollution and associated health and related impacts from Brisbane Airport’s new flight paths launched in July 2020. The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman report, the Brisbane Airport PIR Advisory Forum (BAPAF) and flight path design consultants TRAX International have all confirmed that Brisbane communities were misled using flawed noise modelling, deceiving community engagement, and offered inadequate noise abatements.
Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) came together in 2020 to fight back on behalf of all Brisbane families and communities experiencing this noise pollution.
For more background information, visit: https://bfpca.org.au/
