Back in August, Airservice Australia began asking the community across the Northern Rivers for feedback on proposed changes to the Ballina Airport flight paths that will occur in November 2025.

The changes were necessary because Ballina Airport is moving from 'uncontrolled airspace', where pilots self-separate from other aircraft using information from Airservices Australia, to airspace that is controlled by air traffic controllers to safely accommodate the growth of air traffic in the region.

Following a 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.

This is the final week that people can provide their feedback; it closes on Sunday, 22 December.

"You may notice changes to aircraft operations in your local area once the flight path changes occur," Airservices Australia said.

"Feedback received from this round of engagement will help determine the final flight path design that will be implemented in November 2025. Subscribe to email updates on the Airservices website to stay up to date on project updates."

Click here to view the proposed flight paths and to give feedback.

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.