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Sydney Airport has installed a new Light Detection and Ranging System (LiDAR) to help manage the risks of windshear during take-off and landing.
As part of the Low-Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS), the technology is designed to let pilots and airport staff know of dangerous low-level wind conditions.
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The system updates every 10 seconds, transmitting windshear alerts to the airport’s air traffic control tower. According to Sydney Airport chief operations officer Adrian Witherow, Sydney Airport is looking to focus on safety as it anticipates hitting 2 billion passengers by 2040.
“As the airport expands to meet growing demand, investing in advanced technologies reflects our commitment to safety and operational efficiency with timely information to support optimised runway configuration,” he said.
“This new technology is a game changer for Sydney Airport, significantly increasing our ability to proactively detect and respond to sudden changes in wind patterns near the runway and alert pilots in the vicinity.
“We are extremely proud to be the first in Australia to implement this technology, and we’re looking forward to bringing it online and seeing it in action.”
The news comes amid recent weather troubles at the airport, which again experienced heavy delays on Monday as high winds of up to 120km/h hit the east coast, forcing the closure of two runways and the cancellation of more than 60 domestic flights.
As of Monday afternoon, 27 Qantas flights had been cancelled, along with 26 Virgin flights, seven Jetstar domestic flights, and two Rex flights, plus two Jetstar international flights to New Zealand.
“Due to high winds, Airservices Australia are operating our east-west runway, which may cause some delays throughout the day,” an airport spokesperson told media.
“We encourage passengers to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.”
In its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for July 2024, Airservices said July was a “challenging month” for Australia’s aviation sector due to disruptions from weather events, the global CrowdStrike software outage, and Rex’s suspension of domestic jet operations.
“Coordinated cross-industry measures to better prepare and respond to [adverse weather] events are being progressed, including joint development of what-if scenarios and alternative demand/capacity balancing plans,” the report read.
“These measures will strengthen network reliability and deliver a more consistent experience for the travelling public.”
