Most people who fly out of the Ballina Byron Gateway Airport do not know that it is termed 'uncontrolled airspace', where pilots self-separate from other aircraft using information provided by Airservices Australia.

Following a 2022 Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Review of the Ballina Byron Airport, it was decided that air traffic controllers would manage the airport flight paths and air traffic from 2025. This was done to safely accommodate the growth of air traffic in the region.

Following the review, both CASA and Airservices have taken steps to enact some of the recommendations to improve safety. These include:

• separation of traffic frequencies (used for pilot communication to ensure aircraft are kept separated in the skies) between Ballina and surrounding airports, including Lismore, Casino and Evans Head

• installation of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) ground station, an advanced airspace surveillance system that enables precise aircraft tracking for pilots and air traffic controllers

• introduction of a Surveillance Flight Information Service, a traffic information service that supports pilot self-separation from other aircraft.

The move to air traffic controllers means new flight paths will be used in the Northern Rivers. Before they can finalised, Airservices Australia will be holding in-person community engagement sessions at various venues this week:

• Lennox Head: Tonight (Tuesday, August 6) at the Lennox Head Community Hall, 7 Daybreak Way between 4pm and 7pm.
• Woodburn: Wednesday, August 7 at the Woodburn Memorial Hall, 127 River Street between 4pm and 7pm.
• Goonellabah: Thursday, August 8 at the Goonellabah Community Centre, 27 Oliver Avenue between 4pm and 7pm
• Alstonville: Friday August 9 at the Alstonville Anglicans Parish Ministry Centre Hall, 6-8 The Avenue between 1pm and 4pm.
• Coraki: Saturday, August 10 at the Coraki Youth Hall, 77 Bridge Street between 9am and 12midday.

Some residents may notice changes to flight paths in their local area once the changes are implemented, so it is worth visiting a session to see if it will affect your house and street.

To register for a session, click here. You can also view the preliminary flight path design and subscribe to email updates or watch the video below.

Airservices Australia is a Federal Government-owned organisation responsible for the safe and efficient management of 11% of the world’s airspace and the provision of aviation rescue fire fighting services at Australia’s busiest airports.