Member for Summer Hill, Jo Haylen MP, has called on the Federal Transport Minister to stop the increase in aircraft permitted to land during the 5:00am – 6:00am curfew “shoulder period”.

Ms Haylen attended a Sydney Airport Community Forum last week, where it was announced that Sydney Airport was about to approve the maximum allowable landings in the “shoulder period” of the curfew from 5:00am – 6:00am.

Currently, twenty one flights a week are permitted to land in the “shoulder period”.

But come June, the Aviation Minister has approved an additional three landings for Qantas – which takes it to the maximum legislated landings allowed in the shoulder period of 24.

“Summer Hill residents are being unfairly subjected to increasing noise due to flights outside the curfew. The Minister has maxed out the shoulder period landing allowance again – given an inch, he will take a mile,” Ms Haylen said.

“It is clear that this Minister will always put the interests of airlines and Sydney Airport before inner west residents,” Ms Haylen said.

The Curfew Act 1995 has never applied to all aircraft, with many private and small jets allowed use the airport between 11:00pm – 6:00am. However, passenger jets are not allowed to fly between these hours unless granted permission to land in the shoulder period of 5:00am – 6:00am.

Originally, councils and residents were promised the shoulder period would be temporary, as there would be a new airport built at Badgerys Creek.

With the Western Sydney airport not operational until the mid-2020’s, early morning flights will continue to wake Inner-West residents for years to come.

“With Badgerys Creek construction still not underway there needs to be another solution in the interim – stop approving more landings in the shoulder period.”

“The Inner West cannot be expected to sacrifice sleep because our Government has become too lenient on curfews which are so important to our community.”