The controversial runway safety upgrade at Sydney Airport will commence this week despite pilots’ groups saying the plan is inadequate and needs a larger safety zone.

The $65 million upgrade will extend the airport’s east-west runway safety area at the Cooks River end, allowing more room for over-running aircraft.

Airport chief executive officer Russell Balding said the construction was part of a wider commitment to safety.

“While this is an essential safety upgrade, the construction program will mean that usage of the east-west runway will be restricted to take-offs to the east by some aircraft,” he said earlier this year.

 New rules require the airport to increase the safety area to 90 metres to deal with a plane overshooting the runway.  

Hundreds of tonnes of concrete will be used to build the 8,100 sq m land bridge which will measure 90m by 90m.

The complexities of extending the safety area over the M5 East tunnel and the city’s largest sewer pipeline mean the runway has to be closed or restricted from October until April 2010.

PEOPLE living north of Sydney Airport will be dealt a double dose of noise as up to 69 extra flights a day thunder over their homes and they lose hour-long respite periods in the early morning, late evening and at weekends.

The dramatic increase in aircraft movements, as high as 71 per cent in parts of the inner west and lower North Shore, is expected to last for eight months, beginning in October, and then continue at a slightly reduced level for a further 10 months.

Sydney residents living under the path of the north-south approaches are angry they will suffer increased air traffic over their homes.

Sydney Airport apologised to affected residents but said it had to comply with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules.