Controlled airspace delayed at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport

CONTROLLED airspace at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport will not be introduced until June 2026, after Airservices Australia delayed the start date by seven months.

The airport was originally set to transition to controlled airspace on November 27, 2025.

The new date of June 11, 2026, will now apply to both the aerodrome control service and the introduction of Class D airspace.

The change will shift Ballina airspace from uncontrolled operations, where pilots self separate using visual flight rules and flight information from Airservices, to all aircraft movements being managed by Airservices controllers.

Airservices said the delay follows infrastructure issues at the proposed control tower site.

“A detailed analysis of the proposed site for the initial control service identified a number of infrastructure challenges, including line of sight obstructions,” the statement read.

The organisation is assessing alternative sites and revising its delivery plan to ensure the tower is operational and meets Civil Aviation Safety Authority standards.

The controlled airspace change was recommended after CASA’s 2022 review of Ballina airspace, which considered industry feedback.

Until the new services begin, the airport will continue using the Surveillance Flight Information Service, along with recent safety upgrades including an ADS B ground station and updated radio frequencies to reduce congestion.

Final flightpath designs for the controlled airspace will be released for public comment in the coming weeks.