Airservices Australia will submit an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) that advocates lowering the base of the Sydney Class C steps from 2500 to 1500 feet.
The change is contained in an industry briefing paper made public late last month detailing proposed changes to the airspace around Sydney triggered by the opening of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI).
The new Class C base was not included in the December 2023 briefing paper, and comes after Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King authorised the preliminary airspace and approach path designs for WSI in early June.
"Airservices has revised the controlled airspace layout and where safety permits, proposed to reduce the volume of airspace to the minimum extent required to safely operate the Sydney Basin," Airservices states in the briefing paper.
"[The] vertical amendment was proposed from an air traffic service perspective to introduce a uniform, streamlined, and consistent CTA structure in the Sydney Basin."
Lowering the Class C is expected to further reduce Class G airspace, threatening the viability of flight training at Bankstown, which was already under pressure from the new airspace architecture.
Airservices' ACP proposes other changes to the current airspace design, which include among others:
- a new Class C volume around Camden that becomes active during Sydney curfew hours
- new Class D airspace east of Richmond with a lower level of 1000 feet
- changes to the dimensions of Richmond military airspace
- amendments to STARs at Camden and Bankstown
- amendments to Bankstown's RNP approach from the north.
Initial proposals for Bankstown lanes of entry have also been amended with:
- inbound from the west via Nepean Bridge to Prospect Reservoir will include a requirement to remain north of the M4
- outbound to the north from Parramatta to Patonga will be routed via a new waypoint at Muirfield Golf Club
- a completely new lane inbound from the south is proposed from Narellan via Bunnings Leppington and the M7-Hoxton Park Road intersection.
The Camden inbound routes via Bringelly and Mayfield are slated to be deleted, although the waypoints themselves will be retained under the proposal.
Most notably, the briefing paper removes airspace amendments in the preliminary design that were intended to support the canceled Bankstown Corridor concept, which proposed inbound and outbound lanes to the south squeezed between Holsworthy military airspace and the Sydney CTR.
CASA's Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) is working on alternatives to connect Bankstown to a suitable training area, with a new proposal expected mid 2025.
Airservices Australia will lead industry engagement for the WSI detailed flight path and airspace design and implementation, including simulator testing and ongoing safety assessments.
The ACP will go to CASA before being released for further industry feedback.
Comment has been sought from Aeria Management, which operates Bankstown and Camden Airports.