Flight paths and noise maps for new airport released

One of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects has just released some key information that may affect homeowners.

Residz Team 3 min read

Even the Queen had to deal with living under a flight path in her lifetime.

In 2022 The Sun newspaper ran a story headlined “Queen’s Windsor Castle is under Heathrow flight path as 37 jets fly over in an hour.”

Yet you don’t see many real estate ads showcasing that the home for sale is under a flight path.

Keep that in mind as you read here that one of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects has just released some key information that may affect homeowners and other local residents.

Sydney’s new international airport, currently under construction, has released its preliminary flight paths and noise maps. Here’s a brief overview and some links that are helpful.

Flight paths in readiness for 2026

Although it’s fully two years before it is set to open for freight, domestic and international travellers (in 2026), the Australian Government has released flight path information for the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport for the community to view.


These include five proposed flight paths, which would be used depending on the time of day, air traffic levels and weather conditions. The airport will operate without a curfew, meaning flights will take off and land day and night.

According to the Infrastructure Department, these flight paths have yet to be assessed and approved by the regulatory authority and will be subject to a formal statutory planning and consultation period later this year.

Interactive Aircraft Noise Tool shows predicted impacts

As part of the flight path information release, homeowners, residents, and interested parties are being encouraged to visit the Aircraft Overflight Noise Tool to see the predicted aircraft noise impacts.

With animated 3D visualisations for each flight path, it’s a clear and clever rendering of what residents living under the flight path might expect in terms of aircraft noise.

Mayor’s concerns for World Heritage Area

As might be expected, locals are coming forward with their concerns.  

The Blue Mountains Gazette reports that in several plans showcased, a flight path cuts straight over the Great Western Highway in the Blue Mountains, impacting areas from Faulconbridge to near Woodford. Some Upper Mountains towns are also affected.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill told the Gazette, "The Blue Mountains is a World Heritage Area, the only city surrounded by World Heritage wilderness in Australia. We are different. We should be treated differently."

One Blaxland resident told the ABC "At night, it's absolutely quiet. The only noise that we have at night is the occasional coal train. It's just quiet, and to imagine having aircraft however many times a day is unimaginable."

What is a flight path?

According to Airservices Australia, it’s important to find out if the house is under a flight path before moving to, or building a home, near an airport.

“The term ‘flight path’ is used to refer to the mapped three-dimensional corridor where aircraft fly most of the time,” it says.  

“Flight paths can be a number of kilometres wide, rather than the single lines depicted on flight charts (maps).

“Aircraft may deviate from flight paths for a range of reasons, including weather and operational requirements.”

Ways to reduce noise under flight paths

Airservices Australia suggests these methods for reducing external noise in homes:

To find out more about aircraft operations in your area, Airservices Australia recommends visiting WebTrak, its Airports page or contacting its Noise Complaints and Information Service.

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