Airport Environment Strategy

Certification

BAC’s Environmental Management System is certified ISO 14001:2015

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Environmentally Significant Areas on Brisbane Airport

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The AES has 7 focus areas covering different environmental aspects

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is dedicated to making Brisbane Airport a thriving hub for aviation, industry and business while ensuring strong stewardship of the environment around BNE.

The Airport Environment Strategy (AES) sets out how BAC approaches the management of environmental values at BNE.

Environmental Management

BAC has an Environmental Management System (EMS) in place to guide the ongoing management, monitoring and improvement of Brisbane Airport’s natural environment.

The EMS forms the basis of how BAC manages environmental issues. The EMS incorporates:

Environment Policy: Sets the direction for BAC’s EMS to deliver continuous environmental improvement.
Certified Environmental Management System: The framework that enables BAC to achieve its environmental goals through consistent review, evaluation and improvement of its environmental performance.
Responsibilities of other parties: Tenants, operators and contractors operating at Brisbane Airport must ensure that their environmental responsibilities and practices are aligned with BAC’s goals and objectives.

Download Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan - Chapter 13 - Airport Environment Strategy

The Airport Environment Strategy included in the Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan

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Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan

The next great transformation of Brisbane Airport.

Explore Brisbane Airport’s vision for growth, sustainability, and innovation over the next two decades, including new terminals, improved transport, noise management, and decarbonisation initiatives.

Select a category below to learn more:

Future terminals

Terminal 3 is set to undergo transformative upgrades to enhance passenger comfort, streamline operations, and provide a modern travel experience. Improvements include expanded seating areas, upgraded amenities, advanced technology integration, and optimized security processes.

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Planned development – 2031

Potential development – 2046

Airfield + terminal expansion beyond 2046

Airfield planning

Planned Development to 2031

Terminal 1: Planned projects envisaged over the next 5 years include:

Expansion of gates
Upgraded baggage handling system capacity
Expansion of self-service check-in areas
Additional self-service arrival processing facilities at border and customs
A multi-level carpark and road and intersection upgrades

Terminal 2: Due to continued growth in the domestic market, the domestic terminal will have upgrades to existing passenger processes. Planned projects envisaged over the next 5 years include:

Domestic check-in upgrades
New gate areas
Baggage reclaim upgrades
New car parking facilities (P3)

Potential Development to 2046

Terminal 1 expansions over the next 20 years:

Expansion of arrival and departure passenger processing areas
Expansion of terminal piers

Planned developments at Terminal 2 over the next 20 years:

Terminal amenity improvements
Upgrades to passenger processing

Ground Transport and Connectivity

Enhancements to transport infrastructure will improve connectivity and accessibility in and around the airport. Upgrades include expanded parking facilities, improved road networks, enhanced public transportation options, and provisions for sustainable mobility solutions.

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Shared paths

Proposed Brisbane Airport upgrades

Public Transport Improvements

Public transport network: BAC aims to support commuter access to genuine public transport options, as improving connectivity across the Southeast Queensland region becomes more paramount.

Road Infrastructure Upgrades

Road network: With the road network connecting people to the airport expected to reach capacity and experience congestion over the coming years, intervention is needed to monitor traffic demand, improve traffic flow, and accommodate internal and external developments alongside general traffic growth.

Future Transport Initiatives

Future demand and connectivity: Brisbane Airport will need to accommodate the increased passenger, employee and business demand over the coming years, through infrastructure and non-infrastructure solutions.
Active transport: Active transport is emerging as a critical element to transport and recreation, with connectivity, accessibility and safety being the main areas of concern for users, creating an opportunity for Brisbane Airport to incorporate this into its existing transport network.
Ground operations and parking: As ride-share and taxi remain popular modes of transport and new car technologies emerge, Brisbane Airport will continue monitoring impacts and improvements.
Freight: As Brisbane Airport anticipates its industrial precincts to grow over the next five years, improvements to the suitability of the freight network will be monitored to ensure efficient freight movements alongside increased growth.

Aircraft Noise

Brisbane Airport is one of the many parties that play an important role in managing aircraft noise, balancing the needs of a growing aviation industry with the well-being of surrounding communities.

Airservices Australia is tasked with managing noise impacts associated with aircraft operations.

Land use planning authorities apply the ANEF contours to land use planning and development applications in the surrounding area, to ensure that developments are compatible with the noise level.

BAC’s approach to noise management is:

Reduction of noise at source and noise preferential treatment
Land use planning and management
Noise abatement and operation procedures
Operating restrictions investigations
Regular noise action plan reviews
Working with industry to balance growth and community need

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2026 ANEF

Alternate noise metrics

Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (ANEF)

The ANEF is the primary tool for considering and managing the impact of aircraft noise in new developments surrounding Australian airports. It maps forecast noise exposure levels around an airport (contours) based on projected future aircraft operations, to balance urban development with aviation safety, environmental considerations and community well-being. Planners, developers and local authorities use these contours to guide land use planning and development decisions and ensure compatibility with the surrounding noise environment.

ANEF contours are displayed as 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 ANEF levels with higher contour levels representing higher cumulative daily aircraft noise averaged over a year. Furthermore, to emphasise the effect of night time operations, the number of flights modelled to occur during night time periods is multiplied by a weighting of four. This forecast has been adopted in Australia to align with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) endorsed concept of a ‘balanced approach to aircraft noise management’.

Noise Action Plan for Brisbane

The development of a Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, by Airservices Australia, is currently underway. As the investigations, options analysis, and decisions are not yet complete, they are not reflected in the Noise Contours and the assumptions in this Master Plan.

The noise contours included in the 2026 Master Plan are based on the current operating flight paths. When the Noise Action Plan outcomes are known, Brisbane Airport will review the outcomes and update noise models accordingly.

Alternate Metrics

N contours show the number of times noise levels exceed a nominated level at various locations around the Airport. The N contours shown are set out in the National Aiports Safeguarding Framework.

Brisbane Airport's Sustainable Future

The Airport Master Plan emphasises a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Strategies include the adoption of renewable energy sources, energy-efficient infrastructure, sustainable aviation fuels, and carbon offset programs to ensure a greener future for aviation.

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Future Terminal Plans

Precinct Development

Aviation Operations

Clean skies for tomorrow

BAC is a signatory to the World Economic Forums ‘Clean Skies for Tomorrow’ initiative. This targets 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030 worldwide.

Clean energy initiatives

Continued expansion of onsite solar generation in the next decade to add to the 11MW capacity already available.

Energy management

Apply design and energy management tools for improved energy management.

Airport Environment Strategy

Brisbane Airport employs extensive planning and environmental oversight across its landside precincts, biodiversity zones, airfield, drainage channels, and the Moreton Bay foreshore—ensuring sustainability, cultural conservation, and operational responsibility in line with its EMS and regulatory frameworks.

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Biodiversity zones

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

Do you support the Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan?

Your feedback, in favour of or with suggestions for change, is welcome. It takes less than two minutes and will contribute towards shaping the future of Brisbane Airport and Queensland as a whole.

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Highlights from the Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan

Select a topic below to learn more about how the Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan is delivering and addressing the airport’s, stakeholder’s and community’s most important issues.

Ground Transport and Connectivity

Improved connectivity and safety improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists around the airport; plus new public transport options.

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Brisbane Airport's sustainable future

Improving on our current Net Zero on Scope 1 & 2 emissions, our Master Plan outlines our continuing contribution to sustainable aviation in Queensland for the future.

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Looking for more information?

The full Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan is available for download, which outlines our future vision in detail.

Download the Preliminary Draft 2026 Master Plan