Planes will keep landing in hour before curfew ends if Sydney Airport gets its way (2024)

International airlines will no longer be able to use an exemption that permits some aircraft to land at Sydney Airport in the hour before the overnight curfew ends each morning once a major new rival opens in two years’ time.

The opening of the curfew-free Western Sydney International Airport in late 2026 will trigger the end of airlines’ ability to use the incumbent Kingsford-Smith Airport’s so-called shoulder period, from 5am to 6am.

This has sparked a push by Sydney Airport to overturn the looming change, arguing it fails to recognise airlines’ global flight schedules.

In a sign of the lobbying efforts, Sydney Airport cites the need for international flights departing London’s Heathrow Airport during the northern summer to be able to land at Mascot between 5am and 6am.

“Those flights then depart Sydney Airport back to London Heathrow later the same morning,” it says. “Preventing those flights from doing so would cause significant disruptions for those airlines and the travelling public.

“If these flights are unable to land at Sydney Airport, they will not automatically go to [Western Sydney Airport] as airlines may instead choose not to fly to NSW altogether, or even Australia.”

Qantas, Singapore Airlines and British Airways use the exemption to land aircraft during the hour-long shoulder period in the morning. Their planes fly over Botany Bay on approach to land at this time.

The call for changes to the federal legislation is contained in Sydney Airport’s submission to a draft environmental assessment of preliminary flight paths for its new rival at Badgerys Creek, about 50 kilometres from the city’s CBD.

Under the Curfew Act, scheduled international flights are permitted at Sydney Airport in “shoulder periods” from 5am to 6am and 11pm to midnight when the curfew is in place.

However, regulations limit flights during the morning shoulder period to 24 a week, while none are permitted in the evening shoulder.

In stressing the importance of flexibility for airlines, Sydney Airport wants the legislation to be changed so it does not lose the facility for aircraft to land between 5am and 6am, as well as a full review of permissible flights in the shoulder and curfew periods to make it consistent with major airports overseas.

Australia’s largest airport voiced concern that the proposed flight paths for its rival would require changes to its own paths despite it “being assured they would not”.

It argues the shake-up of its flight paths has been “in isolation” and fails to consider improvements to airspace above the entire Sydney basin. “This misses a major opportunity,” it says.

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But in a subtle dig at its rival, Western Sydney Airport says the opportunity for further growth at the incumbent is “limited by both the physical and operational restrictions that apply to the legacy airport”, and they are an important way to minimise disruptions for residents near Mascot.

In a submission, the new airport says it has been planned for growth while “minimising impacts on surrounding communities”, adding that its curfew-free status will open up opportunities for airlines to schedule flights that arrive or depart the city in the early morning or late evening.

Western Sydney Airport cited analysis it had commissioned from consulting giant Deloitte that found there would be “material adverse economic impacts” for western Sydney if a curfew were imposed on it.

“The loss of 24/7 operations as a ‘pull factor’ for airlines to operate from, or base aircraft at, [Western Sydney Airport] would also lead to a reduction in both passenger and air cargo aviation activity during the day,” the airport says.

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A spokesperson for federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the government had “no current plans” to review the curfew at Sydney Airport.

However, she said the government had announced reforms to Sydney Airport’s demand management scheme to make best use of take-off and landing slots.

Western Sydney Airport chief executive Simon Hickey declined to comment on his rival’s push for changes to the rules for flights during shoulder periods. “I’m just worried about making sure we deliver what we’ve got to deliver,” he said.

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