Residents Call For Canberra Curfew

Expansion plans at Australia's Canberra Airport have been met with opposition by local residents, who wish to impose a curfew on airport operations.

The airport's masterplan includes proposals to increase flight frequency to make Canberra a 24-hour freight hub.

Locals oppose the plans due to increased noise pollution, according to local media reports.

Mayor of nearby Queanbeyan, Frank Pangallo, says 24-hour flights will have a "devastating" effect on residents.

"I mean most people will tolerate an aircraft flying over the top of their place in the middle of the day where there's not much background noise," he says.

"But in the middle of the night a 2 or 3am that same aircraft would probably increase the noise factor by four or five times."

In December, Canberra announced a US$250m upgrade including a new terminal, twice the size of the existing facility.

Construction is due to begin in July 2008.

By Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh