[Peetwo]

TICK TOCK goes the Harfwit, Su_Spence & Betsy DOOMSDAY CLOCK?? - 

Courtesy of the RRAT Senate Committee Inquiry into the 'Impact and mitigation of aircraft noise', there was a public hearing held in Bris Vegas on Monday that 'Belled the Cat' on the incompetence, soft corruption and misfeasance of Harfwit, Su_Spence and Betsy on matters to do with the bureaucratic (under the bubble) management of airspace, airports, aviation safety and international ICAO compliance...

The Bris Vegas PH had a huge turnout - reference Senator McKenzie X Tweets:

Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

Huge turn out to our senate aviation noise inquiry here in Brisbane thanks to everyone across the community who have been speaking out about this issue for years. Air Services Australia failure exposed #BFPCA

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

@BFPCA_ says that while AirServices Australia boss Jason Harfield may claim that flight path design is ASA's "bread and butter" they are highly incompetent and unable to do the work ASA is required to do.

@BFPCA_ says that ASA, in all their technical expertise, has created a scenario that is not reducing noise but is creating an amphitheatre.

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

BFPCA Chairman Prof Marcus Foth says of AirservicesAustralia "The fish rots from the head" and calls for the Minister to take action against the CEO

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

@BFPCA_ says Airservices Australia is a "noodle mix" of conflicts of interest when regulating noise while also responsible for flight paths and airspace operations. #RRAT #noiseinquiry

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

@YourAFAP tells inquiry that the Minister has had time to host roundtables with airports and unions but not the community.

Albanese Labor Government ignoring the Brisbane community. #RRAT

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

@BFPCA_ has repeatedly been refused meetings with Minister Catherine King and have even travelled to Canberra without success. Where is the Minister?

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

In response to a question from inquiry on whether @BrisbaneAirport believe they are receiving a bad wrap for the incompetence of ASA, BNE CEO responded ‘Yes’ #rrat

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

Both @Qantas and @VirginAustralia have told the Inquiry they are frustrated that ASA is not allowing airlines to use technology to reduce noise and reform airspace management that has been installed on planes for twenty years. #RRAT

Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

@VirginAustralia says it has raised this issue and the failings of ASA with Minister King directly. What is the Minister’s response? Radio silence.

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Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie
@senbmckenzie

Labor needs to meet with the local community and hear directly their concerns.
AirServices Australia boss should not be reappointed by Labor.
Thanks to all who came out to the inquiry.
???

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Linked Courier Mail article:

Ex-ombudsman floats ‘modest’ passenger levy to fund noise insulation for people under flight paths

Plane passengers would be slugged a special levy to fund noise insulation for people living under Brisbane’s controversial new flight paths, a Senate inquiry has heard.\

Brendan O'Malley


A ‘modest’ passenger levy to fund noise insulation has been suggested as one fix for Brisbane’s new flight path problems. Picture: Brendan O'Malley

Plane passengers could be slugged a special levy to fund noise insulation for people living under Brisbane’s controversial new flight paths, a Senate inquiry has heard.

Former Aircraft Noise Ombudsman Ron Brent, now the Brisbane Airport Community Airspace Advisory Board chair, told the inquiry in Brisbane on Monday, April 15, that compensation had not worked well overseas.

He instead suggested a “modest’’ passenger levy as one possible mechanism to help those worst affected by new flight paths introduced when the city’s second runway opened in 2020.

He also said community calls to divert more planes over Moreton Bay would not fix the noise problem because of a huge forecasted increase in flights in coming years.

Nor would SODPROPS, a flight mode where planes on the two runways simultaneously took off and landed.


Brisbane Airport new runway. Aerial images taken on 23.4.20

“To suggest they are the solution or would have a major impact is unrealistic,’’ he said.

“There have been gains at the margins... but marginal gains are an important part of the overall mix.’’

“Even with a curfew there will be impacts.’’

Mr Brent also told the inquiry he faced three years of “push back’’ because ASA was focused on safety and not noise reduction, but added that safety was a very important priority for it.

He also conceded ASA had improved its focus on noise abatement towards the end of his term.

Under questioning from Senator Bridget McKenzie, he admitted federal Transport Minister Catherine King had never met with him despite personally appointing Mr Brent.

Senator McKenzie’s Coalition Senate colleague Matt Canavan also questioned why there had been no progress in diverting more flights over Moreton Bay since the second runway was built, despite claims it was the solution to Brisbane’s noise woes.


Aircraft noise has become a hot topic since the second runway opened in Brisbane in 2020. Picture: Liam Kidston

Senator Canavan pointed out several times that the public had been led to believe the second runway would lead to more flights over the Bay, but the percentage was still stuck at about 50 per cent.

Federal regulator Air Services Australia, which did not give evidence, copped a whipping from senators Canavan and McKenzie and an admission from BAC head Gert-Jan De Graaff that ASA was not operating flight paths as was intended at the time the new runway opened.

Senator Canavan at one point asked BAC future airspace strategy program manager, Tim Boyle, if it was true overnight flights would jump five-fold from the current 50 per night, by 2042.

Mr Boyle responded that the number “sounded about right’’ before Mr De Graaff asked to take the question on notice.

The Courier-Mail understands the senator’s figure was dramatically overstated and the forecast was 87 flights per night by 2042.

An ASA spokesman said in a statement after the inquiry that a mode called Independent Parallel Runway Operations had not yet begun.

It was a high-capacity mode in which aircraft land and depart simultaneously on both runways in a staggered manner using one runway and then the other. It was not specifically designed for noise-sharing.

“Airservices intends to begin using this runway mode in 2025, which is when Brisbane Airport have advised they will have the capacity to cater for the increased arrival rate, following upgrades to their baggage handling facilities,’’ he said.

“Achieving greater use of over water operations is a key priority of the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane and we have prioritised efforts to increase the use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS), under which planes arrive and take off over the bay.
“This includes making SODPROPS the priority runway mode 24/7 subject to weather and operating conditions.’’

Senator Matt Canavan said many of those present wanted answers after being promised there would be no extra noise impacts from the second runway.

He repeatedly asked about a curfew, including its impacts on regional airports.

He questioned why a curfew was being presented as an “all or nothing’’ option, rather than introducing more restrictions at night.


Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka. Virgin and Qantas say they have invested heavily in quieter planes. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

The CEO of the Transport and Tourism Forum, Margy Osmond, said caps and curfews at Sydney Airport had had a major impact on the national network, not just Sydney.

“They are affecting our international reputation for reliability,” she said.

“The industry is amazingly focused on noise abatement. There are immediate solutions that could be made.”

That included taxiing with one engine, lowering reverse thrust on landing and reduced thrust on takeoff.”

Queensland Tourism and Industry Council general manager advocacy, Melanie Anderson, said any impact on Brisbane’s gateway status would harm the 206,000 jobs dependant on tourism.

She said there was no shortcut way to fix aircraft noise but it was vital air services were not disrupted ahead of the 2032 Games.


BFPCA spokespeople Sean Foley, Marcus Foth and Tess Bignell. Picture: Brendan O'Malley

Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (BFPCA) spokesman, Prof Marcus Foth, said it was clear to him that ASA had allowed airlines and BAC to maximise profits at the expense of residents.

He said the airport had attracted Australia Post, DHL and Amazon as part of its push to boost freight operations, which he said “largely operated at night’’ and was designed to offset declines in passenger services since lockdown.

“We are now dealing with an airport with a city attached to it, rather than a city with an airport attached to it,’’ he said.

Senator Canavan asked him about a trial to change flight paths to allow planes to approach the airport and take off more steeply, minimising noise impacts.


Senator Matt Canavan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

But Prof Foth said that had not happened because airlines wanted to minimise taxiing and other changes that increased fuel burn and caused delays.

“We have now experienced (noise from the second runway) for four years, in some communities even longer, and we have not seen any compromise, any bone being thrown to the community whatsoever,” he said.

BFPCA committee member Sean Foley told the inquiry he had monitored flight heights of “hundreds” of plane movements using the Flight Radar 24 app and found planes in fact took a level approach for about 30km from Forest Lake to the CBD, with flaps lowered.

QUT air pollution expert Prof Lidia Morawska told the packed hearing that new studies showed ultra fine particles emitted by cars, planes and other sources affected every organ in the body, not just the lungs.

She said the particles were hard to detect and monitors currently in use could not pick them up.

However, they cost only about $20,000 and only a few were needed in key areas.

“There are no health guidelines or standards (on ultra fine particles),” she said.


Prof Lidia Morawska at the senate inquiry today. Picture: Brendan O'Malley

Prof Morawska, a co-chair on a 2021 WHO report into the particles and a Time Magazine person of the year recognised for her warnings at the beginning of Covid, said health impacts had been observed in studies at Los Angeles, Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam airports.

Qantas and Virgin pilots and technical experts wrapped up the day’s evidence.

Qantas said fleet renewal was the most effective way to reduce noise and “well meaning “ efforts to curb noise could cause reduced safety and increased fuel burn.

They said Qantas would take delivery of one new aircraft every three weeks, on average, for the next two years.

Virgin experts said aviation was essential for a large island nation but acknowledged the genuine impact of noise on some communities.

Virgin Australia actively took part in noise abatement measures including input to changes on tail wind speeds.

It had taken delivery of four new 737 jets, which were 40 per cent quieter than existing 737 models.

Haven't got the Hansard of the 'audio only' PH but here is the Submissions, Add Docs etc tabled so far:

Submissions

1 Brisbane Airport Corporation (PDF 1153 KB) 
2 Tess Bignell (PDF 1931 KB) 
2.1 Supplementary to submission 2 (PDF 22113 KB) 
3 Professor John Quiggin (PDF 257 KB) 
4 Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance (PDF 6330 KB) 
5 Australian Federation of Air Pilots (PDF 423 KB)  Attachment 1 (PDF 548 KB) 
6 Brisbane Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group (PDF 52 KB) 
7 Airservices Australia (PDF 1159 KB) 
8 Qantas Group  (PDF 517 KB) 
9 Name Withheld (PDF 5678 KB) 

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Additional Documents
1  Appendices for Airservices Impact and Mitigation of Aircraft Noise Submission (received 12 April 2024)
2  Qantas, Chapter 7 Airport development planning processes and consultation mechanisms, 'Qantas Group to the Aviation Green Paper' (received 12 April 2024)
3  Slides – Aircraft emissions: focus on ultrafine particles, provided by Professor Linda Morawska, 9 April 2024
4  Slides – Brisbane Aircraft Noise Killing Us Slowly & Article - Brisbane - Aviation Noise Pollution, Public Health & Wellbeing, provided by Dr Sean Foley, 15 April 2024

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Tabled Documents

1  Qantas Group, opening statement, tabled by Captain Alex Passerini at public hearing in Brisbane on 15 April 2024.

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AQON

1 Brisbane Airport Community Airspace Advisory Board, response to written questions from Senator Waters (received 18 April 2024)

Finally here are some of the 'audio only' segments from the public hearing (the evidence given from Prof Foth Chair of the 'Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance' is well worth taking the time to listen to, the guy is well briefed and all over the subject matter and doesn't hold back when condemning Harfwit & CO...  ):

BFPCA:

AFAP:

Qantas & Virgin:

MTF...P2