Pilots union criticises Brisbane airport for ‘potentially unsafe’ noise reduction strategy

Aircraft noise has become a hot button topic in Brisbane, particularly at night, with the federal Greens pushing for a curfew and flight cap. Photograph: itanistock/Alamy

Australia’s biggest pilots’ union has alleged that an arrangement by Brisbane airport for three major international airlines to change takeoff and landing procedures to reduce noise pollution is “potentially unsafe” and “highly unusual”.

The Australian Federation of Airline Pilots (AFAP) alleges that the airport’s move to encourage Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific planes to consider taking off or landing with tailwinds of two knots above the limit imposed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) “falls well outside international standards and conventions”.