VOLUME A: BACKGROUND AND NEED A3 Options and Alternatives NEW PARALLEL RUNWAY DRAFT EIS/MDP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT A3-91 VOLUME A: BACKGROUND AND NEED A3 Options and Alternatives CONTENTS FIGURES AND TABLES 3.1 Introduction 93 Figures 3.2 Feasible Alternatives to Runway Figure 3.2: Intrastate, Interstate and International Construction 93 Shares of Movements Across the Day, Brisbane Winter Weekday 2004/05 3.2.1 No Change Scenario 93 Figure 3.3a: Runway Options from the 2003 3.2.2 Demand Management Scenario 95 Master Plan 3.2.3 Expanded Use of Other Airports 97 Figure 3.3b: Runway Option 3 3.2.4 Conclusion 99 Figure 3.3c: Runway Option 4 3.3 Options to Runway Location 100 Figure 3.3d: Runway Option 5 3.3.1 History of Runway Options Figure 3.4a: Comparison of Material Amounts Development 100 Required by the Runway Development in Relation to that Produced within 3.3.2 Runway Options Assessed in South East Queensland During 2003-04 2003 Master Plan 100 Figure 3.4b: Quarry Sites within 150 km Radius of 3.3.3 The Preferred Runway Option 102 Brisbane Airport 3.3.4 Introduction to Preferred Runway Figure 3.4c: Daily Truck Generation During Design Alternatives 109 Construction Staging and Scheduled 3.3.5 Fill Minimisation Study 109 Project Timings 3.3.6 Airport Levee Study 110 Tables 3.3.7 New Parallel Runway Design 111 Table 3.2a: Regular Public Transport Passenger 3.4 Feasible Alternatives to Sourcing Movements at Brisbane, Gold Coast Runway Fill 113 and Sunshine Coast Airports, 1994/95 to 2004/05 3.4.1 Introduction 113 Table 3.2b: RPT Aircraft Movements at Brisbane, 3.4.2 Project Fill and Materials Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Requirement 113 Airports, 1994/95 to 2004/05 3.4.3 Feasible Alternatives to Table 3.3: Runway Options – Assessment of Fill Materials 114 Impacts 3.4.4 Sourcing Pavement and Table 3.4a: Material Type and Estimated Volumes Structural Materials 116 Table 3.4b: Summary of Timeframes for Delivery of Materials During Construction NEW PARALLEL RUNWAY DRAFT EIS/MDP A3-92 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT VOLUME A: BACKGROUND AND NEED A3 Options and Alternatives 3.1 Introduction traffic. It is estimated that business accounts for between 60 percent and 65 percent of the domestic traffic and that between one-third and 40 percent of This Chapter of the Draft EIS/MDP presents the domestic passengers travel from or to Brisbane and findings of assessments of options and alternatives return in the same day. As Brisbane’s population considered as part of the EIS/MDP process. Section grows so too will its business traffic. For this 3.2 includes an assessment of feasible alternatives reason it is reasonable to expect that the airlines will to runway construction such as the use of demand continue to serve the needs of the higher yielding management measures and expanded use of business passengers with services operating at other regional airports such as Coolangatta and current peak times. Maroochydore. Section 3.3 provides a detailed assessment of runway location options at Brisbane Further, in the case of Brisbane, a large number Airport, updating work that was presented in the BAC of regional flights from elsewhere in Queensland 2003 Master Plan. A triple bottom line assessment of operate to Brisbane carrying business passengers runway options is provided. Section 3.4 reviews the wishing to connect to interstate flights. For this feasible alternatives to sourcing runway fill and other reason the regional airlines service also contribute to construction materials. It summarises information morning and afternoon peaks at Brisbane Airport. detailed in the Moreton Bay Sand Extraction International peaks result from a complex array Study on sand fill options and provides new of issues. There are a number of significant information regarding the sourcing of pavement and influences and constraints affecting airline schedules. structural materials. These include: 3.2 Feasible Alternatives to • Passenger preferences to commence or complete Runway Construction their journey at ‘friendly’ times – not too early in the morning and not too late in the evening; • Slot limitations at airports in Asia and Europe 3.2.1 No Change Scenario which will limit when aircraft can arrive at or depart from Brisbane; and 3.2.1.1 Peak Hour Spreading • The hubbing role played by some airports. This It is evident that many airports including Brisbane means that longer haul flights operating via Asia have daily peaks. If the demand within these peaks need to connect with flights in the hub port could be spread across other hours of the day, the to carry passengers from an incoming port to need for additional runway capacity and associated their different ultimate destinations. Thus the capital expenditure could be reduced. This would incoming flight needs to arrive in time to catch a be ideal for airlines (as they could improve the ‘bank’ of outgoing flights. utilisation of their aircraft) and airport operators (as they could increase the revenue achieved As a result of these factors airlines cannot schedule for their aeronautical infrastructure investment). arrivals and departures on an unconstrained 24 hour However underestimating the peak can lead to basis. Rather they are confronted with limited congestion, delays and ultimately to capacity scheduling opportunities or ‘windows’. constraints that restrict growth and development. This is why many Asian flights arrive at Brisbane The peaks arise due to passenger preferences and a in the early morning adding to the domestic peak number of airline operating constraints. described earlier. Domestic airline peaks arise around 7.00am to Thus whilst there are some opportunities for airlines 9.00am each weekday morning and around 6.00pm and airports to spread their peaks there is a limit to 8.00pm each evening. For airports such as and little scope to spread traffic evenly across the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane these runway operating day. peaks are driven largely by domestic business NEW PARALLEL RUNWAY DRAFT EIS/MDP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT A3-93 When demand starts to exceed capacity during 3.2.1.3 Improvement Options for Existing peak periods, airlines either have to move flights Runway System into the shoulder period, change aircraft to a larger BAC has previously undertaken a review of whether seating capacity aircraft, or simply allow passengers additional airfield infrastructure to the existing to alter their travel patterns (e.g. travel earlier or runway/taxiway system could provide increased later, use alternative airports, or not travel by air). arrival and departure capacity to enable a This is not an ideal situation as for many reasons, deferment of the New Parallel Runway (NPR). The passengers particularly the business traveller, have enhancements considered were: a particular time when they must travel. This is discussed further in Chapter A2. • Additional taxiway entrances onto the main runway to facilitate intersection departures; The TAAM1 modelling for the 2035 scenario with no new runway (Chapter A2 Table 2.6f), indicates • Additional rapid exit taxiways to facilitate landing that delays of between 2.5 to 4 hours were starting aircraft vacating the runway quicker; to occur. No airline would tolerate such delays and • The construction of the missing section of would alter their schedule accordingly by either taxiway on the bravo taxiway system commonly changing flight times (where possible) or by not referred to as the ‘missing link’; and scheduling the flights (more likely) leading to loss of airline passengers through Brisbane. • Additional taxiway connection between the alpha and delta taxiway systems to facilitate aircraft 3.2.1.2 Passenger Loss operating from the cross runway. The hourly, daily and annual capacity constraints These above enhancements were reconsidered of traffic for 2034/35 were applied assuming no during the current design phase for the NPR and additional runway. It is estimated that 35 percent of modelled as part of the TAAM investigations. That aircraft movements would be lost in 2034/35. The modelling has resulted in the following outcomes. overall passenger loss is estimated to be around 12 million passenger movements in 2034/35 or Additional Taxiway Entrances 24 percent of the unconstrained demand. An additional taxiway entrance was considered for It is forecast that there will be a loss of 3.2 million departures in both the 01 and 19 runway directions. international passengers and 8.8 million domestic The intent of this work would be to enable additional passengers. departures during busy periods, particularly when there are a number of aircraft queued on the taxiway By 2035 that would mean a direct loss of just under awaiting departure. Based on the existing aircraft $5 Billion per annum in passenger spending in the mix at Brisbane Airport during the busy hours, wider economy (in today’s dollars). these additional taxiways would not provide any discernible improvement in the hourly departure rate. In the case of an additional intersection departure taxiway in the 19 runway direction (i.e. towards the city), there would be potential negative noise implications. The current noise abatement procedures would not permit such an intersection departure for jet aircraft. 1 Refer Chapter A2 for an explanation of TAAM Capacity modelling. NEW PARALLEL RUNWAY DRAFT EIS/MDP A3-94 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Additional Rapid Exit Taxiways 3.2.2 Demand Management Scenario One additional rapid exit taxiway (RET) was 3.2.2.1 Demand Management Options considered for aircraft arriving in both the 01 and 19 directions. The intent would be to enable landing In the event that the NPR is not constructed when aircraft to vacate the runway more quickly potentially required, a number of demand management options allowing for additional arrivals. would have to be considered.