On 27th June 2023, the initial flight tracks for the new Western Sydney Airport were unveiled through a user-friendly interactive noise tool developed by To70 in partnership with AerLabs, on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA). The noise tool allows residents to enter their addresses and visualise the extent to which their homes will be affected by aircraft noise disruptions.
The website provides a detailed display of the projected flight paths and their effects on nearby communities, aiming to foster community involvement in the Environmental Impact Assessment. Through clear communication of complex technical data and its implications for the local environment, the website encourages dialogue among the airport, government, and surrounding communities. To illustrate the situation effectively, it utilises maps and videos, linking the broader context to the specific impact in each location.
In the first 24 hours the website was visited over 150,000 times and the visualisations watched more than 65,000 times.
Rob Morris, Senior Aviation Consultant, To70 Australia “Aircraft noise is experienced in very different ways, so we designed the tool to visualise flight path and noise impacts in a way which made it simple for people to understand the effect of airspace changes on them. We believe this is a great example of collaboration between To70 offices and our partners to leverage the depth and breadth of To70’s global experience pool and provide truly innovative solutions to our clients.”
Senior Aviation Consultant, To70 Europe, Maarten Tielrooij, emphasises: “These developments are an example of how we try to make the complex concept of aviation noise understandable to those who are most affected by it ”.
Founder and CEO of AerLabs, Robert Koster, remarks: “Our mission is to reduce the environmental footprint of aviation with advanced tools that promote transparent and effective collaboration. With this capability, we are bringing a new level of value to stakeholder engagement by providing interactive access to the future flight paths and expected noise impact data.”.
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Founded in the Netherlands in 2000 and expanded to 15 offices across the globe, To70 is one of the world’s leading aviation consultancies.
We serve the aviation community by designing and optimising airport and airspace operations. Our mission is to help society and industry address the air transport challenges they face by delivering outstanding independent consultancy services.
Society’s growing demand for transport and mobility can be met in a safe, efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically viable manner. With a diverse team of experienced aviation consultants who possess first-hand knowledge across diverse range of aviation operations, To70 provides practical solutions and expert advice for its clients.
AerLabs is an award winning, privately funded, Netherlands based aviation technology company whose mission is to reduce the environmental footprint of airports, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP), and aviation regulators across the world helping them move towards a net zero future. AerLabs provides its Echo software platform and services to enable the aviation industry to use data to dramatically reduce their noise and emissions impact for their stakeholders both for planning as well as near real time monitoring.
AerLabs was founded in 2018 by Robert Koster as part of TU Delft aerospace engineering and computer science programme and aerospace innovation hub to make aircraft noise and environmental modelling more accessible.