Noise and vibration assessments for an airport expansion
When Sunshine Coast Airport identified a need to expand its operation, included in the proposal were a new terminal and a new 2,430-metre runway to operate in an east/west direction. We were engaged to undertake noise and vibration assessments for inclusion in the environmental impact statement. Our scope included aircraft noise; on-ground noise, traffic noise and construction noise and vibration. The project drew heavily on our significant aircraft noise experience, with information sharing and analysis aided by our geographic information system (GIS) capabilities.
A critical part of our scope was the accurate classification of existing and future aircraft operations at the airport. This was achieved through advanced analysis of existing flight data and 10 years of meteorological observations, as well as extensive consultation with aircraft operators. Specialist consultants were able to forecast the number of flights for future scenarios, but the allocation of those flights to runways was tasked to us. The data obtained through the above analysis produced a custom developed model of future operations. The output of this model was used by many consultants in their respective disciplines.
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