Debated in Parliament on 10 Jan 2018.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) what additional noise abatement measures to counter low-flying aircraft noises coming from the nearby Seletar Airport can be put in place; (b) whether the height limit of the airspace over residential areas can be increased; and (c) whether a different flight path can be given to aircraft landing at the airport so that they will not fly over housing estates, especially in the middle of the night.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the actual flight paths of aircraft depend on the prevailing wind conditions and directions. In the case of Seletar Airport, arriving and departing aircraft will sometimes fly over nearby residential estates because of the wind conditions around Seletar Airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is mindful of the noise pollution caused by overflying aircraft and has several measures to reduce it. First, whenever wind conditions permit, CAAS proactively routes the aircraft away from the residential areas.
Second, CAAS requires aircraft that overfly residential estates, such as those to the south and west of Seletar Airport, to operate at a height of at least 450 metres or 1,500 feet. CAAS has considered raising the height of such flight paths. However, this would compromise the safety of the aircraft because the aircraft will have to ascend or climb and descend at steeper angles.
Third, CAAS prohibits training and freighter flights between 10.00 pm and 7.00 am at Seletar Airport, and allows only newer and quieter aircraft to operate within Singapore.
Sir, I would like to let the Minister know that Nee South has been a very peaceful place where residents can have a good night's sleep until recently when I received several feedback. Actually, it is not just sometimes, as the Minister mentioned. Just to give you some examples. On 3 January, there were three flights coming in —
Er Dr Lee, please ask the clarification.
Yes, I would like to ask whether we can limit the time further, because if you mention 10.00 pm to 7.00 am, it is not true. There are flights that come in at 3.00 am, 4.00 am and 5.00 am. It is continuous – on 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 January. And there are flights that come in after 10.00 pm. So, for those that are noisy, can we turn them away or not allow them to land at Seletar Airport at all and not come near Nee Soon South because they wake people up in the early morning?
Minister for Transport. Please make sure they do not come to Mountbatten either. [Laughter]
I thank the hon Member for raising it. The flights that are permitted from 10.00 pm to 7.00 am are aircraft that are usually smaller and with newer engines, and these can include medical evacuation flights into Seletar Airport. So, we limit this window to smaller, quieter aircraft, and the big aircraft with noisier engines are only limited to day time. So, the data that the Member has provided are probably accurate. The bigger, noisier airplanes are only limited mostly to the day time and up to 10 o'clock at night. Post-10.00 pm, sometimes, it will be for medical evacuation and smaller aircraft.
We take the point that aircraft do bring noise into, not just Nee Soon South, but to other areas of Singapore because of the small land mass of Singapore. So, CAAS will continue to adopt the best practices according to international standards to include the best practices in noise abatement measures.
I would like to ask the Minister how he defines "small aircraft". If residents can be woken up at 3.00 am, 4.00 am, I think the noise is not little. So, I would seriously want to urge the Minister and CAAS to look into this issue so that the residents' sleep does not have to be disturbed so often.
Yes, I thank the hon Member for the feedback. Some of these inconveniences will definitely be reviewed consistently to make sure that we bring the least disamenities to residents.
Just a clarification from the Minister. Does this flight time also apply to other vicinities, such as near Paya Lebar Airbase in Hougang and Aljunied?
It applies with different timings to different military airports, whether it is Paya Lebar or Tengah. These noise abatement measures, from my memory, do take into account school examinations, for instance, when there will be curtailing of flying. And for the military aircraft, if my memory serves me right, they try to land by 10.00 pm, unless it is for operational contingencies.
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