Plane-noise protesters fear not being heard

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Opponents expect analysis to support new landing path over city suburbs

Auckland residents complaining that noise from aircraft has become intolerable are awaiting a report on the trial of an aerial highway off-ramp over their homes.

Expected this week, the draft report is on Smart Approaches - a satellite-based navigation system allowing a short-cut to Auckland International Airport.

Testing of the continuous curved descent to the north of the airport ended in October last year but a public debate over what was acceptable noise carried on.

Aviation agencies said the measured impact of trial aircraft was little different from typical jet arrivals and that noise readings were well below the New Zealand standard.

Residents are adamant that noise increased during and after the trial.

Protesters' homes are spread from Mt Roskill to Mt Eden, from Te Atatu Peninsula to Remuera and Glendowie to Howick and Dannemora.

Complaints about the Smart Approaches trial came from its flight path suburbs of Epsom, One Tree Hill, Royal Oak, Oranga and industrial Penrose.

Some residents used noise meters to confirm suspicions as flights came over. One resident emailed the airport snapshots of aircraft and their height taken on a light radar app on his computer.

Residents made 111 complaints to the airport between April and June, two public meetings drew 500 people and the airport company had to put four noise monitors in backyards.

In March last year, Royal Oak resident Lorraine Clark said she became aware of lower-flying aircraft but did not know her home was under a trial flight path until she searched the Airways NZ website.

"It turned a lot of people's lives into a hell. They are still not getting any sleep, are woken several times a night and we intend to stop it - one way or another."

More than 2000 signatures were collected for a petition demanding all aircraft return to the original, higher flight path.

Auckland Plane Truth campaign organised an online petition to Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee to "stop noisy planes over Auckland city".

Earlier this month, anticipating that a draft report would favour adoption of Smart Approaches, Plane Truth took out full-page Herald advertisements to compare official answers with residents' views.

Mrs Clark would not rule out making a legal challenge to recommendations of the draft report.

The campaign's present focus is making submissions on the Auckland Council Unitary Plan with the aim of getting rules to protect all Auckland homes from excessive aircraft noise.

The trial was directed by Airways NZ, which manages aircraft arrivals and departures, and Auckland Airport.

A partner in the trial was the Board of Airlines Representatives, which represents Air New Zealand, Qantas and Jetstar.

The board and Airways NZ yesterday declined to comment, but have previously insisted none of the trial flights were at night, while benefits came in the form of fuel and carbon emission savings, shorter flights and reduced noise.

Draft report questions

• Did measured noise levels comply with New Zealand standards?

• Did the approach fit international moves to reduce carbon emissions?

• Is there the ability for Smart Approaches to equitably distribute flight paths across Auckland?

• How well did different types of aircraft fly the path?

• Can air traffic controllers safely manage aircraft on conventional and Smart Approaches?

• Does Smart Approaches help runway efficiency?