Airservices Australia has announced the final flightpath design for Ballina Byron Gateway Airport.
After extensive community and industry engagement, the flightpaths will commence 11th June 2026 to support the introduction of controlled airspace around Ballina.
In order to safely accommodate the growth of air traffic in the region, Ballina airspace will transition from the current uncontrolled airspace - where pilots self-separate using visual observation, communication procedures and traffic and flight information provided by Airservices - to all aircraft movements being managed by Airservices' approach and aerodrome control services.
As part of this change, Ballina Byron Gateway Airport will have new published flightpaths for arrivals and departures called Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Instrument Arrivals (STARs). These are like roads in the sky which aircraft follow, resulting in a more efficient flow of traffic to and from Ballina Byron Gateway Airport.
Once the changes are made, communities may notice a change in aircraft operations around Ballina, Alstonville and surrounding areas.
Airservices Australia Head of Community Engagement Donna Marshall said the final flightpath design prioritised safety, while incorporating best-practice air traffic efficiency and environmental principles.
"Airservices airspace modernisation program sees us committed to enhancing the safety and efficiency of Australia's airspace at major regional airports and improving accessibility to these locations for the aviation industry," Ms Marshall said.
"An important part of this process was listening to community views and minimising community noise impacts where safe and feasible.
"The changes included between our first and second round of engagement received a positive response from the community, with Airservices adopting the preferred design for implementation.
"Closer to the final flightpath implementation in 2026, we'll remind the community of the upcoming introduction of the new flightpaths and how they can provide feedback on aircraft operations once the changes are in place."
