Doc 13 AA NOS ENV 2.100 18 Redacted.pdf

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Environmental Management of Changes to
Aircraft Operations
National Operating Standard
AA-NOS-ENV-2.100
Version 18
Effective 01 July 2022
Prepared:
s47F
– Senior EMS Specialist
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
Endorsed:
Environment & Sustainability - s47F
Approved:
Chief Safety & Risk Officer - s47F
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
Released
Ensure document is current before use
© Airservices Australia 2022
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1
Purpose
The purpose of this Standard is to prescribe the requirements for environmental impact
assessment (EIA), community sensitivity analysis (CSA) and community engagement
that must be met, prior to implementing changes to aircraft operations.
These activities shall be collectively referred to as environmental change management
within this document.
2
Scope
This Standard applies to all proposed changes to air traffic management practices
(proposals) that may involve a change to aircraft operations.
Proposals include, but are not limited to, the following:
•  new, or amendment to an existing, instrument flight procedure;
•  new, or amendment to an existing, air route;
•  re-classification of airspace;
•  change to noise abatement procedures or preferred runways;
•  a change that allows use of a flight path/airspace by a dif erent type or quantity of
aircraft;
Note:  A tactical decision of an air traffic controller to alter the track of an individual
aircraft does not constitute a proposal.
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
Note:  Changes involving the administration or facilitation of emergency operations
(aerial firefighting, police, Border Force, military or other covert ops) are not
required to be screened as they are considered inherently tactical.
2.1
Out of Scope
This Standard does not necessarily apply to other business revenue (OBR) work
undertaken by Airservices. For OBR work, an approach shall be determined by the
Chief Service Delivery Officer, to assess the potential application of the Environmental
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and the potential environmental
impact of the work.
Refer to Appendix A for applicable changes and Appendix C for further information
regarding OBR work.
3
Objectives of environmental change management
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
Recognising that safety is our most important consideration, the main objectives of
environmental change management for aircraft operations are to:
1.
meet our legislative obligations to:
a.
avoid ‘significant’ environmental impacts resulting from any Airservices
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action, and ensure appropriate regulatory consideration and impact
assessment, as required under the Environmental Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act).
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b.
ensure air traffic management practices are conducted in a manner that
protects the environment, as far as is practicable, as required under the
Airservices Act 1995;
c.
meet applicable Ministerial Directions relating to aircraft noise
management;
2.
minimise our business risks by maintaining effective community engagement and
sound corporate citizenship in aircraft noise management;
3.
provide a standardised and rigorous approach to assessing the impacts of
changes to aircraft operations, as a demonstration of organisational due diligence
in environmental management (in compliance with the requirements of our
Environmental Management System (EMS) - as described in
AA-NOS-ENV-0001);
4.
assist in achieving organisational environmental, sustainability and community
management commitments (as described in our Environmental Policy
C-POL0030); and
5.
assist in achieving efficiency outcomes for our customers, through improved flight
paths and associated reductions in fuel costs and emissions.
4
Principles and mandatory requirements
4.1
Change process collaboration
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
Environmental change management is a collaborative process involving impact
assessment (environmental, social and reputational); risk assessment and
management; and community engagement.
These management elements shall be conducted collaboratively and concurrently by
relevant parties throughout the change lifecycle, such that flight paths are designed
and implemented in a manner that minimises environmental and community impacts to
the greatest extent practicable.
4.2
Change governance
A formal standing change governance panel shall be established with representation
by accountable managers from all business units with accountability for elements of the
end-to-end airspace/aircraft operations change management. This change governance
panel shall oversee the entire change pipeline from initial proposals to post
implementation reviews, and authorise progress at key decision points established in
this Standard. Decisions of the governance panel shall have minutes and attached to
the CIRRIS change record as evidence.
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
The roles and responsibilities of the governance panel1 shall be published as a
functional group procedure or a Terms of Reference, which defines membership,
decision making and delegations.
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1 The governance panel is currently implemented as the ‘Airspace Governance Panel’ described in ATS-PROC-0147.
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4.3
Requirements for all proposals
Al  proposed changes to our air traffic management practices that may affect aircraft
operations shall:
1.
be undertaken in accordance with this Standard and subordinate procedures,
while being commensurate and scalable to the complexity of the change;
2.
be assessed for environmental and community impacts prior to implementation
3.
be designed to avoid environmental and community impacts to the greatest
extent practicable (whilst prioritising operational safety);
4.
involve community engagement prior to the final decision, where potential
community or environmental impacts are identified;
5.
be reassessed2 and reengaged with the community prior to implementation, if the
proposal has already been impact assessed in accordance with this Standard
and:
a.
has subsequently been substantially modified or;
b.
over 24 months has elapsed since the original assessment and
engagement.
6.
undertake a gap analysis for the assessments which were previously endorsed
through a formal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Major Development
Plan (MDP) process to ensure assessment metrics used in the originally
endorsed EIS/MDP adequately addresses the current environmental impact
standard and industry practice, and to determine whether additional advice is
required from the Environment Minister regarding whether the proposal presents
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
the potential for ‘significant impact’ under the EPBC Act. Refer to Guide ENV-
GUIDE-0028 Environmental Impact Assessment of Changes to Aircraft
Operations for more details about the content and process of ‘gap analysis’.
7.
seek to achieve an outcome that balances the needs of the environment,
community and aviation industry stakeholders, in accordance with Airservices
Flight Path Design Principles (FPDP).
Note: For third party assessments, Flight Path Design team (FPD) shall review and
lodge Environmental Change Screenings in CIRRIS. Safety & Environmental
Assessments team wil  undertake endorsements, and Community Engagement team
wil  ensure if communities have been appropriately engaged.
4.4
Third party framework
Airservices Third Party Framework (TPF) procedure (C-PROC0429: Third Party
Proposed Change Management Procedure) shall be applied to all proposals led by a
third party (an Airport for example) where Airservices is in a supporting or joint
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
development/delivery role. The TPF clearly defines Airservices airspace and flight path
change obligations and the requirements identified through this Standard.
A Third Party Change Management Plan (TPCMP) is required to be completed as part
of the TPF. This plan identifies roles and responsibilities against these obligations and
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requirements, and confirms input, review, approval and assurance requirements for

2 ‘Re-assessment’ is scalable depending on the extent of the given variation to the change, and may only consist of validation of original
inputs and assumptions.
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both parties. The TPCMP shall be completed prior to any Airservices activity
commencing on the proposed change.
4.5
Information systems
The Corporate Integrated Reporting and Risk Information System (CIRRIS)
Management of Change (MOC) module must be used to record case workflows and
due diligence activities associated with a change proposal.
The Environment & Sustainability Principal Advisor is accountable for ensuring that
CIRRIS accurately codifies the screening and assessment criteria and logic described
at Appendix A of this Standard.
If CIRRIS functionality is unavailable, the Accountable CSDO Manager shall ensure
that change proposals are documented in a manner that conforms to the criteria and
process steps outlined in this Standard.
The end to end CIRRIS processes can be completed by Flight Path Design (FPD) on
the basis they provide evidence that the decision has been supported by the change
governance panel or other relevant risk delegate/s.
4.6
Proposals with potential ‘significant impact’
Wherever practicable, Airservices shall seek to avoid changes with the potential to
result in ‘significant impact’ to the environment, as defined under the EPBC Act.
Where avoidance of potentially significant impact is not practicable (e.g. due to a clear
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
safety imperative), the proponent of the change shall seek advice from the
Commonwealth Environment Portfolio Minister (the Environment Minister), in
accordance with Sections 28 and 160 of the EPBC Act, prior to implementing the
change. Refer to Section 6.4 for further information regarding advice and assessment
requirements under the EPBC Act.
4.7
Development of procedures
Airservices business groups with accountabilities for planning and implementing
changes to aircraft operations shall develop procedures and other supporting
documents that describe:
a.
the internal business processes required to enact the requirements of this
Standard (including interactions with other business groups and external
stakeholders);
b.
the relevant methodologies for undertaking environmental impact assessments,
community sensitivity analyses and community engagement (as required by this
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
Standard), and how they wil  collaboratively inform flight path design;
c.
the Flight Path Design Principles (FPDP) applicable to the design of all new and
amended flight path changes to ensure balanced consideration of customer,
community, environment and operational requirements, having first given regard
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to safety
d.
Any additional standards, principles and templates applicable to the development
of products or processes defined in this Standard, such as Flight Path Design
Principle Report (FPDPR).

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5
Accountabilities
5.1
Overall change implementation
The following abbreviations for accountable personnel are used throughout this
standard:
•
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
•
Chief Service Delivery Officer (CSDO)
•
Chief Customer Experience and Strategy Officer (CCXSO)
•
Chief Safety & Risk Of icer (CSRO).
The CSDO group holds ultimate accountability for ensuring that no change proposal is
implemented without completion of the appropriate environmental change management
requirements, in accordance with this Standard.
In practice this means:
•
managing the change process to ensure that all assessment and management
elements are completed and approved by relevant managers;
•
accepting or rejecting risk assessments produced during the environmental
change management process (in accordance with Risk Management Standard
(AA-NOS-RISK-0001), Environmental Risk Management Procedure (ENV-
PROC-0004) and Airspace Change Process (ATS-PROC-0147).
•
approving implementation of the change once all environmental change
management requirements (as described in this Standard and any change
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
specific plans) have been met.
The Accountable CSDO Manager is the point of accountability for the overall success
of a change. The Accountable CSDO Manager is either:
•
the Head accountable for the operations to which the change pertains; or
•
the Chief Service Delivery Officer (if the proposed change represents a risk in the
‘High’ risk class (in accordance with AA-NOS-RISK-0001) as indicated by the
environmental or  community sensitivity analysis and/or the airport risk rating3).
Environmental change management shall be integrated with the overall change
governance framework.  Accountable managers from all business groups involved in
the change process must be informed of potential environmental and community risks
and benefits from a proposed change at relevant decision points throughout the
change lifecycle4; including the design and initial proposal stage. See Airspace Change
Process (ATS-PROC-0147).
The CEO holds the ultimate approval authority for change implementation. The change
governance panel must ensure that the CEO is kept informed of the change program
and of any high risk changes prior to implementation.

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3 To enable this, CSDO group shall maintain a risk in CIRRIS which describes ongoing environmental risks associated with noise
management at specific Airports, in addition to assessing the risk of the particular change.
4 ATS-PROC-0147 establishes the Airspace Governance Panel (AGP) which meets the intention of this requirement.
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Requirements:
12.1. A Community Engagement Plan (CEP) shall be prepared that, as a minimum:
a)  reflects the findings of the CSA and the EIA, and any other considerations (e.g.
reputational and other business risks) relating to impacts to the community;
b)  reflects any recommendations regarding potential significant impact (under the
EPBC Act) as identified through the CSA or EIA processes, or Environment Minister
advice;
c)  includes a community engagement strategy that is reflective of the complexity of the
proposed change, the noticeability of the change and the level of community
sensitivity;
d)  provides justification for the change, explicitly describing potential impacts (both
positive and negative), and on what basis the proposal is optimal compared to
viable alternatives, and any efforts made to minimise impacts on communities.
12.2. The CEP shall provide quantitative flight path information including:
a)  specific proposed flight paths (mapped);
b)  heights and distances of proposed flight paths from communities (including visual
impacts);
c)  likely noise levels at relevant community locations;
d)  emissions associated with the proposal. the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
12.3. A Flight Path Design Principles Report (FPDPR) shall be produced which describes how
the proposed change gives effect to Airservices’ published Flight Path Design Principles.
The FPDPR shall be approved by the accountable CCXSO manager prior to release.
12.4. The CEP shall describe all community engagement to be undertaken for the change
(including content and format of information to be provided and estimated dates and
timeframes13);
12.5. The CEP shall be reviewed and approved by the accountable CCXSO manager prior to its
implementation (including all supporting artefacts).
12.6. A CEP addendum14 shall be prepared where:
a)  additional activities are identified as necessary once the CEP is approved and
engagement activities are underway, or
b)  where the community engagement activity enters a different stage of activity.
12.7. Community engagement (as described in the CEP, and any CEP addendum) shall be
delivered in a manner that:
by Airservices Australia pursuant to
a)  is targeted to all areas potentially affected by the change;
b)  is tailored to the particular audience and forum (considering the social, economic
and cultural context) to ensure genuine engagement, accessibility of information and
effective consultation, where appropriate;
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13 Note that community engagement can be undertaken in a staged approach, with different versions of the CEP
prepared and implemented as change planning progresses.
14 A CEP Addendum is prepared in recognition of the flexible and iterative nature of community engagement activities.
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14.2. Environmental risk shall be accepted by the CSRO.
14.3. Reputational (community) risk shall be accepted by the CCXSO.
14.4. Financial (including legal compliance) risk attributable to environmental aspects of ATM
change shall be accepted by the relevant Chief for the group proposing the change.
14.5. The risk assessment shal :
a)  be recorded in CIRRIS16 and linked to the ECR in the MOC module;
b)  be given a ‘High’ risk rating (requiring review/acceptance by the Chief Customer
Experience Of icer where the change occurs at an airport considered ‘high’ risk
(according to the aggregated enterprise Noise (airports) Risk);
c)  be updated with relevant consequence information as necessary17 following
completion of each of the CSA, EIA, CEP and CER elements (associated final
reports shall be attached to the change record in the MOC Module);
d)  have a final risk rating that reflects the highest consequence class of the various
change elements (i.e. environmental, social/reputational);
e)  be periodically reviewed by the accountable manager as required (e.g. prior to
delivery of key activities, such as community consultation);
f)
be approved by the accountable CCXSO manager prior to change
implementation.
7
Change Implementation the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
For any given change, the accountable CSDO manager shall consider all information
and recommendations provided through the EIA, CSA, CEP, CER and final risk
assessment (and any other relevant sources), and make an informed decision
regarding whether it can be implemented as designed.
A proposed change shall not be implemented prior to the accountable CSDO manager
verifying in CIRRIS that:
•  all requirements of the EIA, CSA, CEP and CER have been met (including
conclusion of any EPBC Act advice and assessment requirements, and
implementation of the CEP as planned);
•  all final and approved EIA, CSA, CEP and CER reports (and supporting artefacts)
are captured in the CIRRIS MOC module;
•  the final environmental change risk (which includes up to date environmental and
social consequence information) has been accepted by the appropriate risk
delegate with evidence recorded in CI
by Airservices Australia pursuant toRRIS.
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16 A Unique stand-alone CIRRIS risk for each individual change is not necessarily required provided a risk assessment and review is
undertaken in accordance with this standard and documented in some form in the CIRRIS risk module (for example, in an electronic file
saved within a generic/parent ANS Environmental Change Risk record).
17 Inclusion of environmental and social (or reputational) consequences in the one risk assessment, enables consideration of these
factors in concert to derive a single overall risk for the change. The risk is considered transitional and shall be closed following change
implementation and completion of a PIR.
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15.5. Where a CIRRIS action has been raised to conduct a detailed PIR, the CIRRIS change
record can be closed prior to completion of the PIR.
9
Skil s, qualifications and awareness
Managers accountable for requirements described in this Standard shall:
(Cth)
•  ensure that all staff involved in environmental management of proposed changes
have the necessary skil s and/or qualifications and/or access to mentoring and  1982
coaching from appropriately experienced personnel to effectively perform their role;
•  implement training and/or education and/or coaching programs to build required
Act
capabilities and experience, as required.
10
Assurance assessments
Managers accountable for requirements described in this Standard shall conduc
Information t
periodic assurance assessments to confirm that associated requirements and
of
obligations are being met.
Additionally, the CSRO Group shall conduct targeted assurance assessments of key
elements of the change management process on a periodic basis.
On occasion relevant regulatory and/or oversight bodies may
Freedom   conduct assurance
assessments on our application of this Standard.
the
to
11
Documentation and recording
All artefacts required to acquit the requirements of this Standard (including EIAs, CSAs,
risk assessments CEPs and CERs) shall:
pursuant
1.  be maintained on record in accordance with Airservices Records Management
Standard (AA-NOS-GOV-0004);
2.  be attached in CIRRIS (in the relevant Management of Change record);
3.  have key actions recor
Australia ded in CIRRIS.

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Appendix A  Environmental Screening Criteria

Context
The Environmental Change Screening of proposed changes to aircraft operations is
undertaken to identify those proposals that do not require further Environmental Impact
(Cth)
Assessment (EIA) or community engagement (including preparation of a Community
Engagement Plan (CEP)). In keeping with our risk appetite in the environmental sphere, the
criteria aim to ensure that only those proposed changes with very low risk (e.g. change  1982
occurs at high altitude or wholly over water and distant from residential areas) are not
subject to detailed environmental assessment.
Act
The criteria (shown in Table 1) were developed by acoustics engineers and aviation
environmental scientists. They were peer reviewed and refined by industry experts and
specialist consultants in 2018 and have been enacted for over a decade. Application of the
criteria over an extended timeframe, as well as scrutiny by external stakeholders (including
the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman), has validated and verified their appropriateness for driving
Information
the required level of environmental assessment for proposed changes to aircraft operations.
of
Explanatory notes
1.   What is “new”?
A new flight path or other aircraft operation is one that is not currently being used.  In
cases where a practice has emerged and it is sought to form
Freedom  alise it, these must stil
follow the requirements of this Standard.   the
Where a route has become inactive due to industry decisions, but is stil  published and
available for use, this is not considered “new
to  ”.  Changes to a published but ‘inactive’
route must stil  meet the screening criteria and consideration of application of the criteria
to determine any unforeseen impacts due to the ‘inactive’ nature of the route.
2.  What is the baseline measurement for calculating an increase in numbers?
pursuant
For the purpose of criterion C4, baseline measurements shall be derived from periods
of normal aviation activity.  Where traffic numbers are reduced due to abnormal events
affecting the industry (slowdowns related to extraordinary social, economic or security-
related events), baseline traffic measurements shall refer to data for the period
immediately preceding the ev
Australia  ent.
Notwithstanding, baseline traffic numbers shall not include periods more than 24
months old7, regardless of whether a route received greater utilisation before that
period.  Data which is more than two years old may not reflect the current community
experience or expectations of aircraft noise.
Airservices
The applicable standard is a representative “busy week” – 90th percentile, including a
by  summer and winter scenario.
3.  Changes involving the administration or facilitation of emergency operations (Bushfire
attack operations, Police Airwing, Coastwatch, other covert ops) are not required to be
screened as they are considered inherently tactical.

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7 Exceptions may be where due to external influences operating conditions over the preceding 24 months have been
abnormally affected
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•  Any overflights of NSRs within the above contours are considered
to be ‘noticeable’.
•  An area is identified 10km either side of the nominal flight path for
b)  EIA without noise
urban areas (representative of 50dB(A) noise levels), and 20 km18
modelling:
either side of the nominal flight path for rural areas (representative
of 42dB(A) noise levels), up to a maximum distance of 35 nautical
miles (nm) from the relevant runway threshold,
(Cth)
•  Any overflights of NSRs within the above areas are considered to
be ‘noticeable’.
1982
Note – where part of an existing procedure remains unchanged under the proposed change, that
part of the design is excluded from noticeability modelling or the other noticeability identification
Act
process described above.
1.2.2 Determining newly overflown NSRs
A NSR is considered to be "newly overflown" if:
Information

of
•  The proposed change has been identified as ‘noticeable’, AND
•  The NSR currently experiences negligible existing aircraft noise – i.e. less than one
overflight per day, during the daytime (i.e. 6:00 am – 11:00pm) by an equivalent aircraft
movement to what is subject to assessment.
Freedom
the
1.2.3 Outcomes of noise noticeability and newly overflown assessment
to
Al  proposed changes that are identified by the AEA team as being ‘noticeable’ or ‘newly
overflown’, must be communicated to the CE team to assist with effective, targeted community
engagement efforts.
This determination does not affect the outcomes of
pursuant  the ‘potential environmental significance’
assessment (described in Section 1.1 above), which shall be undertaken in all cases (where the
environmental change screening has determined an EIA is required).
2.  Fuel Burn and Emissions Assessment
Australia
Table 4 provides criteria to determine whether to seek advice under the EPBC Act regarding
potentially significant environmental impacts associated with increases in aircraft fuel burn and
emissions, as a result of proposed changes to our air traffic management practices.

Airservices

by

18 Based on a B737 on departure, as per modelled noise levels in AS2021:2015, it has been identified that general y at
2,500m from the centre line of the track (sideline), noise levels wil  be approximately 60dB(A). This is the maximum
sideline
Released   distance at which 60dB(A) noise levels would be experienced. Based on geometric spreading of noise, it was
calculated that noise levels would be 50dB(A) at around 7,900m sideline and would be 42dB(A) at around 20,000m
sideline. The units of 42dB(A) for rural areas and 50dB(A) for urban areas have been selected as representative of
noticeability of noise, with consideration of state and territory EPA guidelines. See GHD literature review for additional
information. Furthermore, departure noise levels were utilised as overall these are higher than for aircraft on arrival. As
such, distances of 10km for urban and 20km for rural have been used as a conservative measure for noticeability and to
account for any potential variations in aircraft levels
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4.  Other EPBC Act Matters
No specific criteria are provided in relation to other categories of potential impacts identified in the
EPBC Act definition of the ‘environment’ (which includes, for example, consideration of potential
impacts on heritage values, amenity, people, disadvantaged groups, and the economic or cultural
aspects of a place or person).
This does not reflect their relative importance as an assessment issue.  However, it is reasonable
(Cth)
to assume that the other noise criteria described in the previous sections wil  serve as a proxy for
identifying potentially significant impacts on these matters (e.g. noise impact is considered a
reasonable proxy for potential impacts on sensitive communities, including cultural values, amenity
1982
and heritage places).
Act
Further details on the methodology for undertaking the assessment of these social and other
impacts is provided in the EIA template (Environment Risk Assessment Template C-TEMP0290).

Explanatory notes
1.
Our criteria for determining when to seek advice from the Commonwealth Environm
Information  ent
Minister regarding potential ‘significant impact’ under the EPBC Act
of  establish a range of
threshold levels for key noise metrics, below which aircraft noise arising from a proposed
change is considered highly unlikely to represent ‘significant impact’, as defined under the
EPBC Act.
2.
Where assessments indicate that a proposed change may resul
Freedom t in metrics exceeding these
thresholds, and the change is planned to proceed in its current form, advice shall be sought
from the Commonwealth Environment Minister (in ac
the  cordance with S160 the EPBC Act)
regarding whether it constitutes significant impac
to  t.
3.
The criteria were developed giving consideration to international aircraft noise assessment
metrics and methodologies, Australian regulatory requirements for noise management, and
associated approaches of another Air Navigation Service Providers. Of particular relevance
in developing the criteria were AS2021:2015
pursuant   (Acoustics – Aircraft noise intrusion – Building
siting and construction), the National Safeguarding Airports Guidelines (NASAG), and the
(then) Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS)
discussion paper entitled ‘Expanding ways to describe and assess aircraft noise’ (March
2000).
Australia
4.
The rationale behind the criteria and associated assessment methodologies is as follows:
a.
Aircraft Noise
LAmax
This is a fundamental unit of noise level from an aircraft noise event, and represents
Airservices
the highest noise level reached during the event, measured in A-weighted decibels -
by  written dB(A) - and using “Slow” speed on a sound level meter. In interpreting LAmax
noise levels, the following relationships are useful.
•  A noise is potentially noticeable if its LAmax level exceeds the background noise
level by more than 5 dB(A);
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•  70dB (A) is considered to be the external sound level below which no dif iculty
with reliable communication from radio, television or conversational speech is
expected in a typical room with windows open;
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•  60 dB(A) equates to the indoor design guide level of 50 dB(A) specified in
AS2021:2015 Acoustics – Aircraft noise intrusion – Building siting and
construction for sleeping areas (with windows open)
Based on published literature22 a change in the A-weighted noise level is perceived by
the human ear as follows:
•  Changes of up to 3dB(A) – not likely to be perceptible.
(Cth)
•  Changes between 3dB(A) and 5dB(A) – may be perceptible.
•  Changes between 5dB(A) and 10dB(A) – likely to be perceptible.
1982
‘Number Above’ metrics
Act
‘Number Above’ metrics (also known as ‘N Contours’) are an aircraft noise
characterisation mechanism used to map noise ‘zones’ around an aerodrome. They
show the number of noise events per day (or other time period) with LAmax levels above
a specified value.  For example, N70 contours would show the number of aircraft noise
events per day with LAmax greater than 70dB(A). N70 and N60 are particularly useful as
they express the number of noise events per day that may potentially affect listeni
Information  ng
activities or sleep respectively, as described above. Use of these metrics was first
of
documented in the discussion paper ‘Expanding ways to describe and assess aircraft
noise’ produced by the (then) Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional
Services in March 2000.

These metrics are also useful in assessing the impact of a change in noise exposure,
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which may involve a change in the number of events exceeding a given noise level.
The magnitude of the change can be expressed as the percentage change in N60, N70
the
or another relevant noise value. For further information refer to:
to
https:/ infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/environmental/transparent noise/expanding/4.asp
x)

Noticeability
pursuant
The noticeability of a noise depends fundamentally on the relationship between the
highest noise level achieved (LAmax) and the existing background noise level. The
Noticeability methodology was developed with consideration of thresholds from
Australian state and territory regulations for industrial noise. Noise noticeability is
intended to identify NSRs w
Australia  hich may notice changes in noise levels and therefore
should be considered for community engagement (even if not considered ‘potentially
significant under the EPBC Act). Where required population and dwelling counts may
be included as part of the noticeability assessment for the purposes of community
engagement.
Airservices
b.
Fuel Burn and Emissions
by  i.  Following a process outlined in ICAO 201123, which provides information on
common thrust set ings and estimates of time-in-mode, and FAA 200024, using a

22 For example, Transport Noise Management Code of Practice – Volume 1 Road Traffic Noise, Queensland Department of Transport
and Main Roads 2013.
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23 ICAO (2011): Airport Air Quality Manual. Doc 9889, First Edition 2011
24 FAA (2000). Consideration of Air Quality Impacts by Airplane Operations at or Above 3000 feet AGL. Federal Aviation Administration,
FAA-AEE-00-01 DTS-34, September 2000.

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height-weighting factor for various stages of flight, it is estimated that the taxi ng
of aircraft can account for as much as 90% of ground level emissions (i.e.. the
landing and take-of  (LTO) cycle accounts for about 10% of aircraft emissions
during an entire flight). Further, FAA 2000 demonstrates that emissions from
aircraft at 3,000 ft have an impact on ground level pollutant concentrations two
orders of magnitude lower than emissions at 100 ft.
ii.  Aircraft emissions in the LTO cycle below 3,000ft (apart from taxi ng emissions)
(Cth)
may have an impact on human health, as per ICAO:
https:/ www.icao.int/environmental-protection/Pages/local-air-quality.aspx  1982
iii.  At the time of writing, the Australian Government did not have a policy regarding
increases in aviation CO
Act
2  emission that could be used for guidance in
establishing criteria for potential significance. Therefore a nominal figure of a
20% increase has been used (per proposed change).
c.
Biodiversity
i.  A recent review of 20 years of international research documenting the effects of
Information
anthropogenic noise on wildlife25, including aircraft noise, has found the
of
following:
o  The range of noise levels reported to induce annoyance in humans and
responses in terrestrial wildlife are similar, ie. 40-100 dB(A).
o  Noise sensitivity varies greatly and there is large variability in responses
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to noise between species and individuals and at different locations.
the
o  Some species are more susceptible to disturbance from noise than
others because of auditory
to  capabilities, social structure, life history
patterns or habitat.
o  While some species may develop a tolerance when overflights are
frequent or regular, others do not.
pursuant
o  Physiological and fitness effects in wildlife have been documented at
noise exposure levels from 52 dBA for certain species (in particular
songbirds).
ii.  The noise level threshold of 60 dBA adopted for the criteria represents a
Australia
reasonably conservative noise threshold based on the findings of the published
literature (i.e. this threshold captures 60% of studies that have shown adverse
responses in terrestrial wildlife, including impacts on physiology and fitness) and
given the large variability in responses between species and individuals and at
different locations.
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iii.  Biodiversity Sensitive Receivers (BSRs), are areas protected under the EPBC
by
Act or other areas that are likely to contain important habitat and are used as a
proxy for EPBC Act listed threatened biota and migratory species and state-
listed threatened biota.
iv.  BSRs should be located and classified over at least a 10km buffer around the
Released
proposed flight path/s to enable a comparison of the area of BSR affected by a
change in noise with the extent of BSR in the locality.

25 Shannon, G., McKenna, M.F., Angeloni, L. M., Crooks, K. R., Fistrup, K. M., Brown, E., Warner, K. A., Nelson, M. D., White, C.,
Briggs, J., McFarland, S., and Wittemyer, G. (2016).  A synthesis of two decades of research documenting the effects of noise on
wildlife. Biological Reviews 91: 982-1005.
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v.  The 10km buffer area in (iv) is consistent with the definition of ‘locality’ for EPBC
Act Protected Matter Searches.
5.
Impact Assessment Methodology
The EMS has included criteria for determining significant impact under the EPBC Act, since
2013 to the present, over which time the associated metrics and methodologies have been
validated through:
(Cth)
a.
discussion of changes being implemented at Community Aviation Consultation
Group (CACG) meetings at airports around Australia;
1982
b.
ongoing analysis of aviation noise complaint data, and associated flight path Act
changes, from the Noise Complaints Information Service (NCIS);
c.
consultation with stakeholders (including the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman and the
Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and Cities)
regarding noise complaints and noise impact assessments;
d.
a referral to the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy, under the
Information
EPBC Act, for the Gold Coast Airport Instrument Landing System (ILS) Project
of
(which included discussion of the criteria and associated methodology to assess
potential significance of aviation noise impacts).
Over 200 airspace changes have been assessed for potential aviation noise impacts and
implemented by us since 2013, without later being found to represent ‘significant impact’
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under the EPBC Act. Given this result, and the significant traffic growth experienced in
Australia since 2013, our assessment methodologies (and the criteria) can be seen to be
the
appropriate and relatively conservative.  to
6.
Continuous Improvement of the Criteria
As part of our continuous improvement efforts (and in response to feedback from the
Aircraft Noise Ombudsman), the significance criteria were reviewed and updated in 2018,
pursuant
with the assistance of an external specialist consultant. As a result, a number of revisions
were made to the criteria in 2019: to more comprehensively address environmental values
under the EPBC Act; formally introduce concepts of ‘noise noticeability’; and to improve the
clarity of the environmental assessment methodology. This process also involved
consultation with the Commonw
Australia  ealth Department of Environment and Energy (DoEE), and
the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities (DIRDC), regarding the
appropriateness and rigour of the criteria, and its overall environmental impact assessment
process (for changes to air traffic management practices).

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Definitions
o  ‘Existing flight’ refers to any flight path that is either formalised or regularly used.
  Formalised flight paths could include:
  Noise Abatement Procedures (NAPs), or flight paths prescribed in
Letters of Agreement (LoAs) with locals operators.
(Cth)
  Instrument Flight Procedures (IFPs), such as Standard Instrument
Departures (SIDs), Standard Approach Routes (STARs), and other
approach procedures published in the Aeronautical Information
1982
Publications (AIP) Departure and Approach Procedures (DAP) plates.
Act
  Regional Routes and Domestic Routes published in the Designated
Airspace Handbook (DAH).
o  Non-formalised paths could include a regularly used vectoring path or track
shortening. Regular usage is subjective to each individual airport and can
include seasonal variations. For example a path that is only used during certain
Information
meteorological conditions, but is used consistently in those situations, would be
considered an existing track.
of
•  Commonwealth Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) sites: sites that
represent Matters of National Environmental Significance – as listed in the EPBC
Protected Matters Search Tool.
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•  Names and definitions for ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ wil  differ between councils and districts
throughout Australia, but there are generally similar zones corresponding to these.
the
Where there is doubt, advice should be sought from the local planning body.
to
•  The usage of the terms ‘day’ (6:00am to 11:00pm) and ‘night’ (11:00pm to 6:00am) is
as per the definition of night (11:00pm to 6:00am) used at Australian curfew airports
(see Commonwealth Sydney Airport Curfew Act 1995). We apply this definition
consistently for all environmental assessments, whether or not a curfew is in place at
pursuant
the specific airport

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Appendix C  Other Business Revenue – explanatory
notes
Other Business Revenue (OBR), otherwise referred to as ‘Unregulated Revenue’ or
Non-Airways Revenue, relates to the provision of goods or services other than those
which are provided by us as part of the regulated service that is subject to the Long
Term Pricing Agreement (LTPA) with customers. For the avoidance of any doubt, OBR
(Cth)
is a term applied to account for those Airservices activities not funded through Airways
Revenue.
1982
OBR includes (but is not limited to):
Act
•  provision of charting services and other publications
•  maintenance or provision of navaids under contract
•  provision of air traffic services under contract (eg. for Solomon
Islands and Nauru)
•  delivery of training, and
Information
•  funds received for official development assistance (aid) activities.
of
•  For further information on OBR, refer to C-PROC0194

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the
to
pursuant
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