Proposed Bankstown Airport Southeast VFR Corridor

The proposal and feedback received will then be formally considered under airspace regulations and a decision made.

The proposal has considered previous industry engagement and historical data across the Sydney region including recent growth trends, future predictions, traffic statistics and an overview of incidents and occurrences.

Airservices Australia is also seeking feedback on the proposed change from the local community, including businesses and residents.

Current airspace

The airspace surrounding Bankstown Airport is used by aviation participants including flying schools, private business flights, charter, freight, recreational flights and emergency services activities.

The constrained nature of the Bankstown control zone coupled with sustained growth in air traffic in the Sydney region has created congestion in the airspace to the north and west of Bankstown Airport where the current VFR exit and entry routes are located.

The airspace to the south of Bankstown CTR is currently constrained by the Sydney CTR and therefore requires clearance to enter. As a result, the airspace is typically only used by operators such as emergency services, law enforcement agencies or those operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

The map above shows the current airspace surrounding Bankstown Airport as well as the proposed changes. Note the blue section highlights only a small portion of the Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport control zone. A more detailed map of the proposed VFR routes is available below. Click to view full image or download under Related.

The proposed design

CASA and Airservices Australia are working on an airspace change that proposes:

• reclassifying a section of the Sydney CTR, located south and southeast of the Bankstown CTR, to create a Class G corridor from surface to 1,500 ft above mean sea level
• the introduction of 2 one-way daytime-only VFR lanes within the proposed corridor.

Removing the constraints of the Sydney CTR will remove the clearance requirements to the airspace south of Bankstown Airport. The new lanes will be able to be used in addition to the existing north and west VFR routes.

The draft ERSA procedures and waypoints have been developed for the proposed VFR lanes and can be downloaded under Related documents below.

The map above shows the proposed changes to the Sydney CTR (highlighted in blue), the proposed VFR lanes (dotted lines) and waypoints. The outbound lane is on the right and the inbound lane is on the left. Click to view full image or download under Related.

How we assess and consider safety and risk

CASA regularly reviews airspace to assess whether it remains fit for purpose. That review process includes considering a range of airspace related risks associated with the location under consideration. An Airspace Change Proposal may result from these reviews. More information about the airspace change process is available on the CASA website.

We work with Airservices Australia to ensure airspace designs meet Australian and international design standards. Airservices adheres to Flight Path Design Principles when designing, developing and implementing routes. 

The proposed inbound and outbound VFR lanes in the corridor have been designed to reduce the airspace risk generated by the constraints of the controlled airspace surrounding Bankstown. The corridor is intended to reduce that risk by relieving that constraint to ensure air traffic flows in an organised and systematic fashion.

CASA has considered safety through every stage of this airspace proposal. We welcome industry feedback on whether this proposal helps to mitigate the identified risks and whether there are any additional safety concerns that we should consider.