Airport Operations

Flight Operation Process

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport can accommodate ad hoc/Itinerant parking requests when a Flight Operations Approval form has been correctly completed and submitted by email to Airport.ops@ballina.nsw.gov.au

You will be required to submit the following details:

• Operator Details
• Aircraft Details
• Proposed Movement Schedule
• Type of Operation

It is the operators’ responsibility to arrange Ground Handling and Refuelling, if any or all are required.

Click here to download the BBGA Itinerant Aircraft Landing and Parking Request form

Cranes operating within Ballina Shire have the potential to create an air safety hazard and to significantly impact the operation of Ballina Byron Gateway Airport. As such, any crane activity within the area extent of the Airport’s Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) must be referred to Airport management staff for assessment.

The area extent of the OLS can be found on the Ballina Shire Council online mapping platform (IntraMaps) which allows any property address to be compared against the OLS Planning Constraint overlay.  If in doubt, applicants should check with the Airport’s management staff.

Online maps

How to apply for assessment?

Applications to carry out crane operations should be made by completing a Crane Assessment Form and submitting to Airport management at least 28 days before the proposed activity. 

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Information required in the application must include:

1. Location of proposed activity
2. Maximum height of the crane above Australian Height Datum (AHD)
3. Whether there is any marking or lighting installed on the crane
4. Proposed operating hours, and any other relevant information.

On receipt of the completed Crane Assessment Form, the Airport will conduct an initial assessment of the application. If the initial assessment confirms the proposed activity is not likely to be an obstacle, the Airport will approve the application. This process will take approximately 7 days from receipt of the application.

If a proposed crane activity is assessed as likely to be an obstacle, Airport management will refer details of the proposed activity to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to determine:

    (a) whether the crane activity will be a hazard to aircraft operations; and

    (b) whether the crane requires an obstacle light that is essential for the safety of aircraft operations.

This process will take approximately three weeks from receipt of the application.

Crane activity approval

An approval may carry conditions relating to how the activity must be carried out. These conditions may include marking or lighting, the hours or weather conditions in which the crane can operate, or requirements to maintain contact with the airport during the operation.

Proponents granted an approval to conduct a crane activity are responsible for complying with the conditions of an approval.  This involves monitoring the timeframes of the activity to ensure that activity is completed within the specified period of the approval and ensuring that any reporting obligations are met.

If an extension or variation to an approval is required, Proponents must apply at least 28 days before the expiry of the current approval to enable an assessment as described in Assessment of Applications.

An approval applies to individual cranes at specific locations and is not transferrable to operations across a site.

Globally drones, also referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) are becoming increasingly popular and more affordable.  In Australia this is resulting in larger numbers of drones being flown for recreational and commercial purposes.

Drone Zones around Ballina Byron Gateway Airport

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport supports and encourages operators to familiarise themselves with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules governing drone use.  Their primary purpose is to ensure aviation safety is maintained and drone operators are taking responsibility for ensuring the safety of their operations and of the surrounding airspace.

Drone operators are responsible for ensuring that their flights comply with Civil Aviation Safety Authority Rules.  Penalties can be tough for flying drones outside of aviation rules or without the correct permissions.

Rules relating to Ballina Byron Gateway Airport and recreational drone use are:

You must not begin flying within 5.5 kilometres of a non-controlled aerodrome if there is a manned aircraft operating to, or from, the aerodrome.

You must safely manoeuvre your drone away from the path of a manned aircraft and land as soon as safely possible if you become aware that a manned aircraft is operating to or from the non-controlled aerodrome or helicopter landing site.

Operational conditions will be changed on the completion of Ballina Byron Gateway Airport classification to a controlled aerodrome (approx June-July 2025).

For more information visit casa.gov.au/drones